A Fairy Tail Ending
by akat24
Summary: It was a Fairy Tail ending for Buffy - well, except that she was about as far from her 'happily ever after' as she could be. She was also nowhere near the end of her story, at least as far as she was concerned.
1. Chapter 1: Break On Through

**Summary** : It was a Fairy Tail ending for Buffy - well, except that she was about as far from her 'happily ever after' as she could be. She was also nowhere near the end of her story, at least as far as she was concerned.  
 **Rating** : FR15, for violence and because some Fairy Tail characters have got mouths on them.  
 **Timeline** : End of BtVS Season 5 and a year before Fairy Tail starts.  
 **Disclaimer** : BtVS is Joss Whedon's and Mutant Enemies. Fairy Tail is Hiro Mashima's. Chapter titles are from songs by The Doors.

 **A/N** : For those of you who have read my previous stories, you'll be pleased - and astonished - to know that I have this story almost completely finished in draft form, so updates will be posted regularly. This is a conscious attempt of mine to keep ongoing stories from lingering out there in the unfinished abyss, having learned my lesson from stories past.

I want to thank kerrykhat and ShalaDakiri for letting me bounce some ideas off them and taking a look over this first chapter. You're the best!

Alright, enough notes, onto the story!

* * *

 _You know the day destroys the night  
Night divides the day  
Tried to run  
Tried to hide  
Break on through to the other side_

As Buffy careened toward the portal, the crackle of magical energy getting louder and louder until it was practically deafening, she felt a strange sense of a peace wash over her. She didn't care that she was going to die. Dawn was safe, her friends were safe, the whole world was safe. She couldn't ask for more than that, not when the odds had been stacked against them so badly. When she hit the portal and felt the magic rip through her body, she simply closed her eyes and let go.

Needless to say, she was a bit peeved when she opened her eyes a few moments later, very much alive and in a world of pain.

How she survived the fall, she didn't know, and she didn't have time to figure it out. She obviously had gone through the portal, which meant she had been sucked into Glory's world. She knew all too well that there was no rest for the weary in a hell dimension.

Though her entire body protested, Buffy pulled herself to her feet as quickly as she could, broken bones and all, and braced herself for an attack. Admittedly, she wouldn't be able to do much, but she hadn't come this far only to die lying down.

But the attack never came. There was no one around _to_ attack her; no hell gods, no minions, nothing, just cracked, desolate earth as far as the eye could see.

All things considered, this was small comfort to Buffy. Though her death wasn't as imminent as she thought - for the second time that day - the situation was far from okay. She was still stuck in a hell dimension, where the odds of finding a friend were slim. At the same time, if she didn't find help soon, there was a good chance she would die anyway; if not from her injuries then of dehydration or exposure to the elements.

That was why, though pain raced through her body with every step, Buffy began to drag herself across the barren terrain, hoping against hope that the situation wasn't nearly as dire as it seemed.

* * *

Buffy half-walked, half-crawled across the cracked, dry earth for what seemed like hours. With each step, she became more and more desperate to find someone, _anyone_. Seriously, she would've taken a hell god, if only to know she wasn't completely alone. But she couldn't find a single sign of life. Still, she kept going, pushing onward until her legs finally gave out on her.

Her eyes were closed before her head touched the ground.

She told herself not to get too comfortable, that she wasn't planning on staying, that she hadn't given up. But she couldn't go on, either, not yet…

Despite her best efforts, Buffy felt herself begin to drift off. As she did, her thoughts turned to Dawn and her friends.

Even though they knew the portal would kill her, they wouldn't accept that, she was sure of it. They would look for her. It would take time, though. That meant she needed to survive long enough for them to find her - or find a way home herself.

It was just the boost she needed. Buffy's eyes snapped open, all traces of tiredness gone. With a renewed sense of determination, she got to her feet and began walking again. She made it another half mile before she stopped again; this time, however, it wasn't because of exhaustion.

There, on the horizon, was a building - at least she thought it was. As she drew closer, she saw that she was right, though it was like no building she had ever seen before. Although it was as tall as a skyscraper, it was shaped like a crescent moon with random beams and poles sticking out of it.

It looked like it was right out of a sci-fi movie.

Buffy bit her lip. It was not the most encouraging sign. On the other hand, she wasn't exactly in a place where she could be picky. Deciding to take her chances, she headed toward the strange building. She was slightly surprised when she was able to march up to the front door without raising any alarms. She wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth, though, so she simply took a deep breath and knocked.

She got no response whatever. Not ready to give up, she tried again. And again. And again.

Each time she was met with complete silence.

Though it was abundantly clear she was being ignored, Buffy didn't leave. She simply leaned against the door as she contemplated her next move. She didn't get very far, however, before a voice came booming out over a loudspeaker.

"Who are you and what is your business here?"

Buffy almost sagged in relief, and not just because they finally acknowledged her presence. She actually understood them; they were speaking English. If that weren't miraculous enough, they weren't making death threats. It made her think that maybe she wasn't in a hell dimension at all. Maybe she wasn't even in a different dimension.

Scrambling to her feet, she quickly replied.

"I'm Buffy, Buffy Summers. I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm, uh, a little lost here."

The speaker went silent, and time seemed to stretch on for an eternity as Buffy waited for a response. She knew better than to leave, though.

Sure enough, the front door creaked open a few minutes later, and a smallish man in a robe stepped out. He looked unassuming, friendly even, with an easy smile on his face. Buffy didn't trust him one bit. There was just something about him that sent her spidey senses off the charts. As inconspicuously as she could, she stepped back, trying to put as much distance between them as possible as she scanned the area for a weapon.

If he noticed, he didn't show it.

"Hello, there," he greeted her. "I apologize for the wait. We don't get many visitors around here."

"No big," Buffy shrugged. "I don't want to be a hassle, so if you can just point me in the direction of the nearest town, I'll just get going."

The man's smile grew wider. "Nonsense. You're obviously injured. Come in and we'll see to your wounds and give you a hot meal. It's the least we can do. After all, you won't find any other help for miles."

His eyes grew sharp, making it impossible to mistake his meaning.

Buffy felt like she had been hit by a ton of bricks, and she silently cursed herself for her stupidity. Before she could even formulate an escape plan, however, the guy held his hands out as a strange circle of light enveloped them. Then, before she could even blink, he shouted something and the light shot out at her. Too injured to even manage a decent dodge, Buffy was hit squarely in the chest.

She was out cold before she hit the ground.

* * *

Buffy spent the next few days drifting in and out of consciousness. She was vaguely aware of voices around her, but she could barely differentiate between them; they often blurred together in a hazy fog. Even when she could tell them apart, she only caught snippets here and there.

 _"_ _... were correct… possesses a unique kind of magic… extraordinary healing abilities… incredible strength… snapped through the chains several times… had to use the ones usually reserved for… haven't seen in Earth Land before… not accessible as wizards' magic… latent, hidden within but powerful nonetheless…"_

"... interesting to see if we could tease it out, no? … implications for our research…"

"... one other thing… followed her track as you ordered… couldn't find where she came from… but found this buried in…"

"... key?… she's not a celestial..."

"... it is a mystery…"

"... does not matter… orders to proceed… will be returning soon and will expect results…"

She knew they were talking about her, but she couldn't make sense of what they were saying. She couldn't even hold on to the words in her head. It was disconcerting, to say the least - until she realized that they were drugging her.

It made her burn with resentment, especially since there wasn't much she could do about it. Helpless to do anything else, she forced herself to take in as much information into her jumbled brain as she could, vowing that she would use it to break out of this hellhole the first chance she got.

To her dismay, she discovered that it wouldn't be easy. In addition to the drugs, her captors had shackled her to a bed. No matter how much she pulled, the chains didn't budge, not even if she used all the Slayer strength she could muster.

That alone set the alarm bells ringing. All the medical equipment around her took it to a whole new level. She almost didn't believe it when she saw the IV line in her arm and all the monitors she was hooked up to. She couldn't deny it, though. Her wounds were being well-tended to, which meant they had obviously been taking care of her. That begged the question why, since they obviously weren't rolling out the welcome mat otherwise.

She didn't have to wait long for an answer.

The first day she woke up without feeling that deep ache in her bones or the fuzzy feeling in her head, she was whisked out of her room and taken into a larger one. Before she could sort out what was happening, she found herself suspended over a large, seemingly bottomless pit in the center of the room. The only thing that kept her from falling into the black hole was all these cables and wires that were attached to her from head to toe.

Above her stood half a dozen people. At least, she assumed they were people; it was hard to tell with the robes and masks.

Then the pain started, and she she forgot about everything else.

* * *

It took a few failed escape attempts and some overheard conversations for Buffy to realize that she had fallen into a world of magic - or perhaps more specifically, the magical Pit of Despair. There was no other way to describe what was happening to her. The guy who greeted her at the door - Count Rugen, as she began to refer to him in her head - was in charge. He and his minions routinely tortured the crap out of her as part of their 'experiment', sometimes to the point where she blacked out. Some days, all she could remember was the pain. When she tried to escape, they walloped her with rocks and knives and wind and whatever else they could conjure through magic spells; her time in 'The Machine' was almost always worse the next day. Through it all, they kept those stupid handcuffs on her, the only exception being when she was connected to The Machine. And yet whenever she was returned to her room, it was always with a nice, big meal and a day's rest before the cycle started all over again. The room itself was even nice; at least, it started that way. As Buffy made a weapon out of everything in it, however, they slowly took it all away until all she was left with was a mattress, a pillow, and some paperback books.

When the last creature comfort was removed from her room, Buffy finally admitted that her strategy wasn't working. Instead of letting it get her down, she quickly switched to a new one, one where she was more compliant. After all, knowing you had broken your prisoner gave someone a sense of power, of confidence, and in Buffy's experience, over-confidence led to mistakes.

Buffy started slowly, wanting to make it seem believable, though in truth, it wasn't that hard to do. Constant torture had an effect on anyone, and Buffy was no exception. But it changed nothing. No matter how timidly she moved from her room to the torture chamber, how pitifully she whimpered after one of her sessions, how blankly she stared at the wall in her room on her days off, the cuffs stayed on and the routine never changed.

Force hadn't worked, and apparently neither would compliance. That didn't leave much else. Though Buffy refused to give up hope altogether, she felt her resolve begin to waver.

That all changed the day she passed another girl in the hallway. She looked about the same age, with long black hair and dark eyes. What really struck Buffy, though, was the terrified look in her eyes as the guards dragged her down the hall and shoved her in the room next to Buffy's.

Buffy couldn't help but stare. She had thought she was the only one there. She almost thought she was hallucinating. And yet when she got back to her room, she clearly heard faint sobs coming from the room next to her.

"Hey," Buffy whispered through the wall. "Are you okay?"

She realized it was a really stupid thing to say. Of course the girl wasn't okay, but-

"Where am I?"

Buffy gave a small chuckle. "I was hoping you could tell me that."

"Oh."

"My name's Buffy, by the way," she said quickly, trying to keep the conversation going.

"Ultear."

It was an unusual name, but Buffy was the last one to comment on something like that, so she wisely did not comment on it. Before she could think of something else to say, however, the crying started again.

"Hey," Buffy whispered. "Whatever you do, don't let them break you, okay? Don't fight them, just.. stay strong."

Buffy held her breath as she waited for a response. It took awhile, but she eventually heard a quiet, "Okay."

* * *

Despite her promise, Ultear wasn't strong enough. Buffy could hear it every time the girl came back from one of her sessions. This place was going to kill her, and fast.

Desperate to get Ultear's mind off the torture she had just experienced, Buffy pressed against the wall and whispered, "Hey, Ultear, what did the first plate say to the second plate?"

The sobs quieted down, though Ultear said nothing.

Undeterred, Buffy delivered the punchline. "'Dinner's on me!'"

"That's terrible," Ultear sniffled.

Buffy grinned. "Without a doubt. You can thank my friend for that. He knows a ton of corny jokes, which he regularly inflicts on the rest of us."

"They must worried about you," Ultear said quietly, so quietly Buffy almost didn't hear the next part. "Do you… do you think they're looking for you?"

Blowing out her breath, Buffy leaned her head back against the wall. "Yeah, maybe. I hope so. What about you? Someone must be looking for you, too."

"No," Ultear said flatly. "There's no one."

The answer came so quickly, so harshly, Buffy physically recoiled from the response. She had obviously stuck her nose where it didn't belong, and she felt terrible about it.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry," she apologized.

She heard Ultear sigh, sounding forlorn once again. "No, you didn't. It's just… my mother died when I was young. I don't have anyone else."

Buffy felt a hitch in her throat. "I don't know _exactly_ how you feel, but… my mother died, too, just this past year. I still feel the hole in my heart," she admitted. "She was the best."

"Mine, too," Ultear whispered.

Both girls fell silent after that, each lost in their own thoughts. For Buffy, Ultear's words echoed in her head. She couldn't imagine not having anyone in her life. Then again, it was probably why Ultear had been targeted in the first place. No one would miss her.

Buffy bolted upright as something occurred to her. She had stumbled across this secret lair accidentally. Count Rugen had made it clear that they were caught off guard by her appearance. On the other hand, if Ultear was targeted, they would have to have transported her some way.

"Ultear, how did you get here?" she whispered.

"I- I don't know. One minute I was walking down the street, the next I was in a four-wheeler."

Buffy's eyes widened. "A four-wheeler? Do you mean they have a car? Here? Did you see where they put the keys?"

"Keys?" Ultear asked, her confusion obvious. "Four-wheelers don't need keys to run, just magical energy."

Buffy bit her lip. "If we found one, could you power it?"

She heard Ultear gasp, seemingly struck speechless. When she found her voice again, her excitement was palpable.

"Yes."

* * *

From that moment, Buffy put all her energy into plotting their escape. Recognizing that her biggest obstacle was the handcuffs, she focused on the only time she didn't have them on - when she was hooked up to The Machine.

Making any kind of move when she was dangling over a bottomless hole was dangerous, especially when she was connected to a bunch of wires. That meant her only real window was _after_ the torture session. There was a real danger in doing that, though, the biggest one being that she would fall in. The reason why she hadn't done it before was because she usually finished those sessions as weak as a kitten.

But what if she could use that to her advantage?

Over the next handful of sessions, Buffy began testing her captors. When they disconnected her, she immediately curled into a ball, forcing her body into a kind of rigor so they couldn't immediately snap the cuffs on. To her delight, they bought her act. When she uncurled herself a few minutes later, they promptly put the cuffs on. With each session, she extended the time it took for her to 'recover', until eventually they started wheeling her back to her room on a gurney without any cuffs on her wrists - passing right by a hallway with large windows that lead to the outside. Knowing her chances weren't going to get any better than this, she made her plans to strike.

She waited until the next day to clue Ultear in on her plan, using the time the two of them usually talked, after Ultear's session.

"Ultear," she whispered. "Tomorrow, be ready."

Slowly, the other girl's cries subsided. "For what?" she asked.

Buffy grinned. "It's time we checked out of the Bates Motel, don't you think?"

* * *

Buffy's entire body thrummed with adrenaline the next day. The pain from The Machine barely touched her, though she did a darn good job pretending it did. When they took out the keys to unlock her room, she made her move.

The guards didn't know what hit them. She easily subdued them before they could work their magic on her. Then she grabbed the keys still dangling from the door and raced over to Ultear's room.

She grinned when she heard the click of the lock and yanked the door open.

"One ticket out of this dump, just like I-"

The words died in her throat as she finally got a good look inside the room.

There were dozens of guards there. Standing in front of them all was a pink-haired girl, and next to her was Ultear, looking very much large and in charge.

"I'm sorry to hear you're unhappy with your accommodations," Ultear purred, as more guards filtered in behind Buffy, effectively trapping her. "I'll have to see what I can do to make your stay here more pleasant."

Then, without waiting for a response, she hurled a green orb at Buffy.

Buffy managed to dodge its first pass. She even thought she dodged the second; she actually saw it hit one of the guards in front of her. Right before it did, however, a strange pink tattoo encircled her wrist; one that also appeared on the wrist of the guard. When he fell down in agony, so did she.

She had no way of avoiding the next hit.

As her vision began to fade, Buffy cursed her luck. While she had identified Count Rugen, it had never occurred to her that Humperdinck was here as well. Or that she was an Academy Award winning bitch.

* * *

Buffy was drugged again. She could feel it. Still, she forced herself to listen in on the conversation around her.

"My apologies, ma'am," she could hear Count Rugen saying. "She wasn't nearly as… complacent as we had thought. If you hadn't devised that ruse-"

"See that it doesn't happen again. Warriors like this one do not allow their spirits to break so easily. Now that we know, however, it changes the rules of the game, doesn't it? Perhaps we should implant the new dragon lacrima prototype in her."

That was Ultear, Buffy thought, recognizing her voice immediately. She heard Count Rugen hesitate to reply.

"But we are only just starting to see results. The additional jolt of magical energy would completely destabilize her. The lacrima would most certainly kill her."

"Yes, but it would be fascinating to see what happens until then," Ultear said. "Besides, after her escape attempt, I now realize we have little chance of controlling her. Her death will serve a better purpose."

"What if she survives, though? She is quite resilient. Transforming someone like her into a dragon slayer could be disastrous-"

"You said yourself that she will die, didn't you?" Ultear demanded.

That cowed the Count. "Yes, ma'am," he meekly replied.

There was a lull in the conversation until Ultear spoke again.

"You're quiet, Meredy. What is it?"

A young, feminine voice spoke, probably coming from the pink haired girl Buffy say earlier. "It's just… I still think it's strange that you've rebuilt the very place you hate, where you lost everything."

"None of it matters. Once we find Zeref, all our sins in this life will wash away, including this one," Ultear said confidently. Then she paused. "It's a shame, though. I rather like Buffy. She reminds me of who I could've been. No matter, we have stayed here long enough. Master Hades calls. I trust this to you, Doctor."

* * *

Buffy felt as if she were burning from the inside out. The pain was unimaginable, much worse than anything she experienced in The Machine. She fought tooth and nail against the magic that was devouring her, but it was a battle she couldn't win. In fact, it was killing her. She could feel herself slipping away, becoming so weak that her captors didn't even bother with the handcuffs anymore.

For days, she lingered like that, hovering on the brink of life and death, until finally, she awoke one morning to find Count Rugen and one of his minions standing over her.

"She's dying, sir," the minion reported. "Her body is rejecting the lacrima, as expected. She's not going to make it."

Count Rugen grunted. "Very well. Dispose of her body. Remove the lacrima first, though. We can use it again."

"Yes, sir."

Buffy vaguely felt herself being lifted onto a gurney. Then she was moving.

They were going to rip out whatever they put inside her and then 'dispose' of her - all before she was even dead. Then they would do this to someone else.

An anger sparked deep inside Buffy's chest. It consumed her entire being, overwhelming everything in its path - including her ongoing battle with the foreign object implanted within her.

With that barrier removed, the magic surged within her, washing over her, _through her_ , rippling under her skin as the power swelled within her, concentrating especially over her heart. She was powerless when the ball of magic coiling within her burst a few moments later.

Instinctively, Buffy threw her arms up to protect herself. It helped shield her against the bits of metal and stone and water that fell all around her, but it couldn't shield her when the floor beneath her collapsed.

The last thing she heard was the panicked screams of people all around her.

* * *

It was deathly quiet when Buffy woke. As her vision slowly came back into focus, she saw why.

Whatever she had done caused the building to collapse. Now, she, along with a handful of dead minions, were buried underneath the rubble, a mixture of broken stone and mud.

Mindful of the multitude of scrapes and bruises she was now sporting, she carefully picked herself up and began looking for a way out, using her nose to find the pockets of fresh air.

It was easier than she thought. While she had always had a good sense of smell thanks to her slaying powers, now it was suddenly off the charts; all her senses were. She could smell _everything_. The hard part was the digging; not only was she still weak from the whole ordeal, but she was also buried under the building much further than she initially thought.

It made her wonder how she had survived, let alone with so few injuries. She pushed those thoughts aside, however, and focused on the task at hand. When she finally reached the surface, she discovered that she was alone once again, though she did see fresh tire tracks heading off in one direction.

They had probably assumed she had died in the explosion, Buffy surmised. Not that she was complaining. She wasn't going to hang around to see if they came back, either.

As quickly as she could, she scavenged for supplies, weapons, and non-lab rat looking clothes. Once she had collected all three things, she set off - in the complete opposite direction of the tire tracks.

Sadly, it felt a lot like the first time she made the trek. Buffy still had no idea where she was, not really; and she definitely had no idea where she was going. Like last time, she was also sporting some nice injuries for the journey.

There was one big difference, though. This time, she wasn't just a vampire slayer. She was a dragon slayer, too - whatever that meant.

* * *

A/N: Yes, this story opens with the ubiquitous portal travel - but it's not just a means to an end. At all. And that's all I can say about that. ;)


	2. Chapter 2: You're Lost Little Girl

Chapter 2: You're Lost Little Girl

A/N: I'm thrilled that people are reading and even reviewing this fic! I honestly feared I was crossing two fandoms no one was interested in mixing. So thank you!

Also, I had a few questions as to whether Buffy was really a devil slayer because of her Calling as Vampire Slayer. The short answer is no, not at least in my mind. Devil slayer magic is a very specific kind of magic unique to Earth Land. Buffy would have no way of performing that kind of magic. She wouldn't be a dragon slayer, if not for the lacrima. I hope that makes sense!

* * *

 _You're lost little girl  
Tell me  
Who are you?_

Buffy stared at the outline of the town before her, unable - or maybe unwilling - to believe her eyes. After all, she had been walking through the valley of the shadow of death for days now with an almost non-existent supply of water. This wasn't the first time she had 'seen' something on her journey, and she doubted it would be the last.

With a bitter sigh, she drew her gaze away from the tempting mirage and forged on. Even though she knew she was heading in the same direction as the 'town', she refused to look at it again, knowing that it would eventually disappear, just like all the others had.

Except it didn't. It only grew bigger and bigger in both size and detail until she couldn't ignore it any longer. Now when she looked at it, she could see that it was situated at the base of a hill with a large wall encircling it; the wall itself was surrounded by trees, which extended up the hillside. Still, Buffy chalked it all up to delirium, giving major props to herself for being so detail-oriented in her delusions. When the smells and sounds from the town began filtering to her nose and ears, however, when she could actually _taste_ the change in the air, her mind finally accepted what her recently enhanced senses were trying to tell her.

It was real. She had found a place that had food and water and shelter.

Buffy should've been jumping for joy. The truth of the matter was the exact opposite, however. Beyond jaded from her time in the Pit of Despair, she just couldn't bring herself to go inside. She could barely bring herself to stand in front of the large wall that surrounded the town. Instead she ducked into the trees lining the edges of town and moved around the outside perimeter of the wall, opting to find the water source that fed the town.

Though she had been managing her thirst well up until that point - mostly by ignoring it - the thought of finally finding some relief made her throat constrict painfully in anticipation, as if she had suddenly tried to swallow the Sahara in one gulp. The feeling only intensified when she realized there was no water to be found. The town had built its walls around the open water. It was sound city planning, she supposed, but it left her beyond demoralized.

Sitting down on the ground, Buffy buried her head in her hands and screamed, as all the pain and anguish and frustration she had carefully bottled up suddenly came rushing to the surface. It was all strictly metaphorical, at least it was supposed to be; as Buffy felt all her emotions bubble up inside her, however, something _else_ bubbled up from the ground beneath her.

With a yelp, Buffy leapt to her feet and looked down, only to discover that she was standing in a puddle of water. It was too good to be true - which meant it probably was. And yet, at the sight of the water at her feet, Buffy fell to her knees and began scooping up handfuls of it to her mouth without a second thought. She didn't care how it got there or if it was tainted, magically or otherwise. All she thought about was the way the cool liquid soothed her burning throat. When she had enough to take the edge off her thirst but not so much that she would be sick, she laid back on the nearest patch of dry ground and sighed.

With a clearer mind and emotions firmly under control once again, she thought over her current situation. The way she saw it, she had two choices. She could avoid the town altogether or she could go inside. The safer choice was to continue on her own. She wasn't sure how long she could last that way, though. While she had found water here, she had no idea how; there was no guarantee she would find more, either. Food was completely out of the question. Not only were her foraging skills were non-existent, but she wouldn't even begin to presume to know what was poisonous and what was edible in this world.

No, the truth of the matter was that she couldn't avoid civilization forever; she wouldn't survive. She could dictate the terms, though.

Gathering her remaining strength, Buffy scaled a tree close to the wall. She made sure she climbed just high enough so that she could pick up the sounds from within a little more clearly but not so high that she could see over it - and conversely so that people could see her. Once she found a decent perch, she closed her eyes and concentrated.

There were so many people inside. The town was filled to the brim. She could hear children laughing, adults commenting on the weather, wagons wheeling through the streets. She even caught a stray argument here and there. What she didn't hear was anything sounding remotely suspicious. Despite her rocky start in this world, it seemed like she had stumbled upon a town filled with normal, non-evil sounding people.

That was the only reason Buffy found herself standing at the gates the next morning, despite her misgivings.

She didn't enter the town wholly unprepared, though. In her hand, she had discreetly hidden a knife, and as she walked, she kept a constant watch over her shoulder, still not convinced that Ultear wasn't going to step out of the shadows and reveal this was all just another twisted game of hers.

Thankfully, nothing like that happened. The town was completely normal - by _Earth's_ standards.

Buffy knew some similarities existed. She had seen them with her own eyes in the Pit; she had heard them, too, when she had eavesdropped on this community. It was shocking, however, to realize just how many there were.

The town looked like it was straight out of a brochure for Europe; the streets were made of cobblestone, there were plazas and public fountains everywhere, and the buildings were cute stone and wooden structures with thatched roofs, containing a mix of apartment complexes, stores and restaurants.

The people were completely ordinary, too; working and playing, bustling about as they did every day chores like grocery shopping and taking out the trash. Even their clothes were familiar; styles ranged from mish-mash of modern American to throwbacks from around the world. The biggest difference was their hair. While Buffy saw blondes, brunettes, and redheads walking about, she also saw people with blue hair, green hair, purple hair, and every other color of the rainbow hair. If anything, she was _boring_ here.

That wasn't to say that people didn't notice her, though. As she walked through the streets, she was highly aware of the looks she was receiving. Some looked at her curiously, others a bit more warily. A few even gave her a friendly nod. It wasn't until she reached the center of town that someone actually tried to talk to her, though.

"Are you alright, dear? You look a bit... lost."

Buffy whirled around at the sound of the voice. Her eyebrows lifted in surprise when she saw who was talking to her. It was a sweet-looking old woman, a street vendor selling various items of clothing, and she was beckoning to Buffy to come over.

Buffy stayed rooted to her spot, automatically scanning the area for potential threats. When she found none, she took a hard look at the woman; she, however, didn't raise any alarms, either. If anything, she looked at Buffy pityingly, particularly as she took in her appearance.

Well aware of how she looked, Buffy smoothed down her hair a little self-consciously and cautiously approached the woman.

"Actually, I am," she admitted. "I was lost out in the desert over there, and I'm a little turned around."

The woman gasped. "You're from Bosco then. You poor thing!" she exclaimed, the look of pity intensifying. "Do you know where your family is?"

Buffy felt a lump in her throat, but she ignored it, along with the woman's question. "If you don't mind me asking, where am I?"

The woman smiled gently in response, as if she were afraid any sudden movements would scare Buffy away. "You're in Shima, dear, the last town in Fiore before you reach the deserts of Bosco," she replied. As she spoke, she picked one of the shift dresses off her display and held it out to Buffy, along with what looked like some money. "You must be tired from your... ordeal. Here, take these. There's a public bath down that street there and around the corner on your right. This isn't much, but there are enough jewel there to cover the entrance fee. Once you get cleaned up a bit, there's a place just to the left of the bath that provides food and shelter to… to travellers from Bosco."

Buffy stared at the clothing and money before looking up at the woman. "I can't accept these-"

"Of course you can," the woman said briskly. "I pride myself on giving a helping hand when I can. I'm known for it. You're not going to ruin the reputation of old Granny Marie, are you?"

Buffy couldn't help but smile, which elicited a warm smile from Marie. "I guess when you put it that way," she said as she took the gifts, albeit reluctantly. "Thank you."

"Think nothing of it, dear. It's the least I can do," Marie replied.

With one more nod of thanks, Buffy turned and walked away. She had just reached the corner of the street when she heard Marie mutter something under her breath.

"That poor girl. Someone needs to put a stop to those wretched slave traders."

Buffy inhaled sharply, though she kept walking as if nothing were wrong.

Marie thought she was an escaped slave. It must've been a common occurrence here, one that Marie was sympathetic to; most likely others, too, if there was a place set up to take them in, which she now realized was what Marie had been delicately alluding to.

Buffy pursed her lips thoughtfully. Though she fairly certain Ultear wasn't a slave trader - just an evil sadistic bitch - it could be a useful cover story, explaining away any lack of history or knowledge, though it came with its own dangers. She had no idea what the population as a whole thought about escaped slaves, or what this place's policies were regarding refugees; she doubted everyone was as welcoming. She also wouldn't be surprised if the slave traders themselves kept an eye on this town, abducting their lost 'property' whenever they got the chance. Still, it gave her something to think about.

Following the directions she had been given, Buffy easily found the public bath. After handing over the money Marie had given her, she stepped inside. She was instantly hit with a wall of steam, and it felt amazing. As quickly as she could, she made her way to the women's section, stripped down, and turned on the hot spray of water.

Ordinarily, she would've been a little weirded out bathing in front of other women, but she had gone so long without a shower, she didn't care. Feeling the grime and blood and sweat wash away was one of the most blissful experiences she'd had in a long time. When she stepped into the hot bath a few minutes later, she thought she'd actually died and gone to Heaven.

She had a similar experience when she got out of the bath and put her new dress on. The plain cotton shift Marie had given her wasn't anything fancy by any means, but to Buffy it was like something straight out of Fashion Week. She felt like a new person walking out of the bath, with all vestiges of her time in the Pit finally gone.

Well, almost, Buffy thought as she fingered her shiny new scar just below her collarbone.

Pushing away those dark thoughts, Buffy took a look around. Within moments, she located the safe haven for refugees, but she didn't go in. She wanted to fly under the radar, and she just didn't know what would be expected of her if she walked inside. Instead, she walked in the opposite direction. As she made her way down the street, she perused the various stalls, trying to get a feel for the new world she was in. She stopped in her tracks, however, when she came across a news stand.

According to date printed in the corner of one of the publications, it was April 27th, x784; again, an interesting mix of the familiar and unfamiliar.

Buffy reached for the newspaper, curious to see what was inside. Just as her fingertips touched the edge of the paper, however, her stomach let out an obnoxiously loud gurgle, one that got the attention of all the people around her.

Buffy flushed with mortification. She should've expected something like that would happen. She was pretty sure her stomach was digesting itself by this point from the lack of food. Still, it was embarrassing, and after a sheepish smile, she quickly left, putting as much distance between her and the news stand as she could.

In her mind, she had no specific destination or even direction. She had simply wanted to get away from the scrutiny she had been receiving. Apparently, her stomach had a different idea, though; the next thing Buffy knew, she was standing in front of a restaurant.

The aromas emanating from within made Buffy's mouth water. She was so hungry, she was almost tempted to try a dine and dash. The only thing that stopped her was the negative attention it would bring.

With a groan, Buffy pulled herself away, thinking that maybe she needed to go to the shelter after all, pride and caution be damned. As she turned to leave, however, a sign in the window of the restaurant caught her eye. It read: _Help Wanted. Inquire Within._

* * *

A/N: So… any thoughts/comments/reactions to the type of dragon slayer Buffy is?


	3. Chapter 3: The Unknown Soldier

_It's all over  
For the unknown soldier_

Buffy set a plate of food down in front of her customer with a brief but friendly smile.

"Can I get you anything else, sir?"

When he shook his head, Buffy gave him one more smile before walking back to her station. By the time she reached her destination, all traces of friendliness and warmth were gone.

Her manager immediately noticed the change in her demeanor and looked at her questioningly. Buffy feigned ignorance, however, as she pulled off her apron and set it down on the counter.

"I'm going to take my break now."

Without waiting to see his answer, she walked out the back door onto the street behind the restaurant. As soon as her feet hit the pavement, she headed straight for the new bookstore she had seen on her way into work that morning, acknowledging all the friendly hellos she received along the way with nothing more than a terse nod.

Buffy knew she shouldn't have been so curt - especially with her boss - but she couldn't help it. Today was October 27th, x784. She had stumbled upon Shima six months ago to the day, and she was no closer to going home than she had been then.

Most days she could brush it aside. She knew that finding a way home wouldn't be easy, and even though she had nothing to show for it yet, she did have a plan, one she worked toward every single day. Other times, like today, however, she couldn't help but feel completely demoralized by her lack of progress. She had to keep reminding herself that, all things considered, her situation could've been much, much worse.

Waitressing, as it turned out, was a skill that crossed dimensions. Without it, Buffy was pretty sure she wouldn't have survived in this world. She was actually pretty good at it, too. Thanks to her enhanced senses, she was able to tell instantly when her customers needed something without moving a muscle. Though this didn't endear her to her co-workers, it allowed her to pull in some decent tips.

There were also additional benefits to waitressing, ones they didn't talk about on career day. Through the bits of conversation she picked up on the job, she was able to get the lay of the land without being obvious about it. It also allowed her to move around Fiore whenever she wanted, easily finding a waitressing job in the new place. And move she did, whenever she saved up enough money to travel.

She had only stayed in Shima for a month. It was actually a cute place, and the people there were nice, but she was always looking over her shoulder. Still, if she were looking for a place to settle down, she might have stayed - but she wasn't. She wanted to find a way home, so after some serious scrimping and saving, and after paying Marie back a hundredfold for her kindness, she hit the road. She had been jumping from town to town ever since then.

It was hard picking up and starting all over again every month or so, and it was definitely a lonely life, but there was a method to her madness - one that led her to places like this.

Buffy looked up at the used bookstore, and, after taking a deep breath, she walked in.

"Can I help you?" the store owner asked as soon as she set foot inside.

Buffy nodded politely. "Do you have a section on magic?"

"Third aisle on the right."

With a nod of thanks, Buffy quickly headed to the third row. When she finally reached the right aisle, her heart began to pound in anticipation.

The magic section was filled with dozens and dozens of books, many of which were leather bound tomes that looked as old as Giles' collection. It definitely held promise. Excitedly, Buffy began scanning all the titles - at which point her enthusiasm instantly dimmed.

The books were broken into three sections; the history of the Magic Council, which was the governing body of wizards, the role of magic in the creation of Fiore, and the various kinds of magical items available to people who didn't have any magical powers. Though they looked interesting, none of them explained how to actually perform magic, and there was absolutely nothing on dragon slayer magic.

Buffy sighed. She knew it had been a shot in the dark. She had been to countless bookstores and libraries before this one with the exact same result. Though they all had some basic books about magic, they weren't what she was looking for; those ones, she had learned, were in guild halls. Still, even knowing this, she had hoped it would be different this time - she hoped it would be different _every_ time, because otherwise she had no choice but to stick to her original plan, which was to join a guild.

It hadn't taken long for Buffy to realize that she was in some kind of parallel world, like Anya had once described. Instead of landing in a world with nothing but shrimp, she had dropped into one where magic was out in the open, in many places taking the place of technology.

Initially, she had been thrilled with this news, thinking she would have easy access to magic. Then she learned that most of the people in Fiore couldn't actually perform it. Those who could joined guilds. These wizards, or mages as they were sometimes called, hired themselves out for jobs that required magic.

That sounded incredibly shady to Buffy. She didn't want to go to a career wizard or, worse, a mercenary. They wouldn't necessarily be interested in right or wrong, just how much money they would make. She had no reason to trust them, regardless of how much jewel she offered - which, on a waitress's salary wasn't much. With her luck, they'd either sell her out or turn her in. While Buffy had many aspirations in life, experiencing the inside of a psych ward in two different worlds was not one of them.

She was also unwilling to return to Bosco unless it was absolutely necessary - as in, there were reports of portals blanketing the entire country, sucking people up into parts unknown. She knew she'd have much better luck learning about magic and what it could do for her in Fiore.

There was simply no way around it. She needed a guild. Instead of hiring one for a job, however, she decided to try a different tack.

She would _join_ one. Once inside, she could look for answers herself, completely bypassing the trust issues and potential incarceration; at least, if she did it correctly. While there was a good chance she wouldn't find exactly what she was looking for, she thought she might at least find a solid place to start. If all else failed, she could at least learn how to control her own magic.

Because boy, did she need it.

That dragon lycra thing had changed Buffy. She could actually feel the magic roiling around her. It was like a constant itch she couldn't scratch, one that grew stronger every day. Thankfully, she hadn't had an outburst like that first time in the Pit, but the potential was always there. She had seen it for herself. Whenever she was feeling intense anger or sadness, water would seep up from the ground. She had left one town much earlier than planned because she had stupidly gone to work on Dawn's birthday and ended up destroying the restaurant's hardwood floors.

She was a time bomb, plain and simple, and she needed to find a way to defuse before she went off.

Unfortunately, joining a guild wouldn't be easy. She highly doubted any of them would accept a complete stranger without knowing something about who she was and if she'd actually be an asset to them; for all she knew, there was some kind of test just to get in. She, on the other hand, wasn't about to reveal her particular situation, not even her cover story, without some assurance that the guild was trustworthy. Recognizing the Catch 22-ness of her plan, she had proceeded with an almost absurd level of caution, scouting out multiple guilds for the last five months, determined not to make a move until she had found the right one.

Her initial instinct had been to seek out the smaller guilds, wanting to stay as anonymous as possible, but that turned out to be a bust. The ones she found were just one step above magic tricks at a kid's birthday party; even worse, their members constantly fought each other tooth and nail for the leftover jobs the stronger guilds ignored. They would serve neither of her purposes. After a few disappointing experiences, she decided to work from the top down.

Fairy Tail was considered the strongest by far, but people tended to have a love/hate relationship with the guild. They were either impressed with all the feats of magic, or angry at all the destruction those feats usually caused. Buffy had heard rumors that their entire guild hall had been destroyed just a few months ago in a scuffle with Phantom Lord, another top guild, resulting in the latter's disbandment. Because she wanted to fly under the radar, she immediately ruled the guild out without even bothering to check it out.

Lamia Scale was another one known for being strong and a lot more stable than Fairy Tail. She even observed some camaraderie amongst the ranks, somewhat dispelling her preconceived notion of how guilds operated; however, people were always buzzing about one Lamia Scale member, Jura. He was a Wizard Saint, who, from what she could glean, was connected to the Magic Council in some way. From her experience with the Initiative, she knew that those kind of people tended to be very myopic and stodgy, something she did not need.

That brought her to Blue Pegasus, which was why she currently found herself in the town of Shirotsume. They were definitely a powerful guild, and like Lamia Scale, didn't seem like they were all about the jewel. What held her back was the extreme narcissism all its members seemed to possess - not to mention their overly flirtatious behavior. Ren, Hibiki, and Eve, in particular, frequently came to the restaurant Buffy worked at, and without fail came onto her and all the other waitresses each and every time in some roll-your-eyes, over the top way. She honestly didn't know when they had time to do any magic, and those three were among the top wizards in the guild.

No, she definitely wasn't ready to pull the trigger on Blue Pegasus yet; hence her desperate dash to the bookstore, hoping against hope that she could find the answers to her problems herself. That clearly wasn't going to happen, though, so she was stuck with her original plan, which meant she needed to continue her current job - the one that paid the rent and put food on the table - until she found the right guild.

Knowing her break was just about over with, Buffy exited the store and hightailed it back to work, jogging the last few hundred yards when she realized how close she was cutting it. Thankfully, she made it back just in time; she managed to slip her apron back on and walk back onto the floor before her manager could make a peep.

Though inwardly she was crumbling in defeat, Buffy checked on her tables as if nothing were wrong. When she heard the distinct clink of ice in empty glasses, she grabbed a pitcher of water and made her way over to Table 6, where two guys were sitting. As she neared their table, she caught the tail end of their conversation.

"I heard he was expelled," the first guy whispered.

"Really?" the other one exclaimed, his voice rising for a moment before he remembered to lower it. "But rumor has it he's a dragon slayer _and_ the grandson of the Guild Master. He must be a really bad seed for a guild to kick someone like him out."

"Especially from _that_ guild," the first guy snickered.

Buffy followed their stares over to a guy sitting by himself on the opposite side of the restaurant in Ruko's section. Under the guise of pouring water for the tables all around her, she studied him out of the corner of her eye.

He must've come in during her break. She definitely would've noticed him before this. It was hard not to. The guy was obviously a wizard. She could feel the magical power emanating from him, even all the way across the room. The air around him was different, too; charged, with the faint scent of ozone.

Even without the magic, however, the guy stood out, with his spiky blond hair and his huge frame, not to mention the lightning shaped scar that ran from his right eyebrow, over his eye, and down the length of his entire cheek. It didn't take away from his looks, though; the guy was definitely eye candy in a very masculine way. It was a nice change from the Blue Pegasus guys, who were a bit too metro for her tastes.

Unfortunately for him, his looks only got him so far. As easy on the eyes as he was, the guy was severely lacking in the social niceties department. It wasn't just that he kept to himself or only seemed capable of talking in grunts; nor was it that fur-lined big pimpin' coat he was sporting. It wasn't even his resting bitch face, for which he was clearly the poster child. It was that his entire aura screamed 'FUCK OFF'.

Not that Buffy cared, not if he really were a dragon slayer.

Deciding to put it to the test, she approached her customers at Table 6, who were still gossiping about him, and leaned down.

"You know, if that guy really is a dragon slayer, you know what that means, right?" she whispered conspiratorially. When they shook their heads, Buffy feigned nervousness. "It means he can hear _every word you're saying_."

Buffy glanced over her shoulder at the guy in question. Judging by the amused look he gave her, she had been right on the money - about the dragon slayer thing, anyway.

Apparently, he _was_ physically capable of turning that permanent frown upside down, even if it was just for a second - for as quickly as it appeared, it vanished a second later, replaced with a look as hard as stone. And it was aimed directly at the guys at Table 6.

Both guys went deathly white at this. Buffy wasn't surprised to see them skedaddle a few moments later. Sadly, in their rush, they left a lousy tip.

Buffy didn't really mind, though. She kept to herself in this world, purposefully keeping people at arm's length, even sweet old Marie. On top of that, there were no demons to slay here. Put them together, and it meant she had a tough time getting her jollies. This was the most fun she'd had in awhile. Besides, these two customers had given her the best tip ever - they'd pointed her in the direction of a dragon slayer.

Not bothering to hide her amusement, Buffy made a beeline for the guy in question. Behind her, she heard Ruko protest the intrusion into her section, but Buffy waved her off.

Though he had to have sensed her intentions, the guy didn't look up until she was standing right in front of him. Even then, he said nothing; he merely raised his eyebrow questioningly and waited.

"Is it true?" she demanded. "What they said?"

"Well, doesn't someone have a pair on them?" he mused. "Helps make up for the lack upstairs, I bet."

As he spoke, he gestured to her chest - or lack thereof.

Buffy flushed, her anger conveniently making her forget that she had made the first insensitive and intrusive move. She couldn't help it. Thanks to her ordeal in the desert and her struggles afterward, she had lost some weight, and she hadn't had the time or money to gain it back. Not having much to spare to begin with, she was extremely self-conscious about how she looked. His unhelpful comment really struck a nerve.

"You're a real jerk, you know that?" she snapped.

"And that's one of my better qualities," he drawled. "Well, it's been fun."

With that, he pushed his chair out, clearly indicating that he was going to leave.

"Wait," Buffy blurted out. "I need you!"

The guy smirked at her. "Well, why didn't you lead with that? I thought I saw a hotel around the corn-"

"No, not like that," she hissed.

The guy laughed, giving Buffy the distinct impression that he had purposefully misunderstood her, just to see her squirm.

Buffy scowled. She was so ready to be done with him, dragon slayer or not. To her extreme annoyance, however, he beat her to the punch.

Tossing his napkin on the table, he shrugged. "Tch. Your loss," he said. Then - after leaving a generous tip on the table, she noted - he stood.

That was when Buffy got a sense of how big he really was. He was as tall, if not taller, than Riley. His muscles were twice the size, too. All in all, he was an imposing figure.

He obviously knew it, too, the jerk. He took a minute to glower down at her, unfazed when Buffy didn't shirk away or step back. In fact, he decided to add insult to injury. As he brushed by her, he _patted her on the head_.

Little did he know, she had broken hands for less. She was sorely tempted to do so here and now, but she resisted. For starters, it would mean she would be out of a job, maybe even out of a town. More than anything, though, she just wanted him gone as quickly as possible, so when he walked out of the restaurant, she simply stood there, more than happy to get him out the door and out of her life.

At least, that's what she did at first, until she realized she was letting a once in a lifetime opportunity slip through her fingers.

A grade A jerk the guy might have been, but he was also the only dragon slayer she had come across in six whole months. True, there was the little fact that he had done something so terrible, he had been kicked out of his guild for it, but beggars couldn't exactly be choosers, could they? Besides, with no guild to support him, he was alone. She may have been out of the slaying game for awhile, but she could definitely still take one guy, no matter how strong or magically enhanced he was, if things got out of hand.

Hoping she wasn't making a mistake, Buffy ripped off her apron and dropped it on the table. Ignoring the calls of her manager at her abrupt departure, she raced after the guy. When she hit the street, he was nowhere in sight - but his smell was still there. Buffy followed the smell of ozone down a corridor of streets until she found him down a small street, one that lead to the outskirts of town.

"Wait!" she shouted.

But he kept on walking, his coat billowing out behind him in an overly dramatic way.

Annoyed, Buffy chased him down and grabbed his arm with enough strength to make him stop. He tried to shake her off, but she used her slayer strength to keep hold. She didn't let go when she felt a pulse of electricity run through his arm into hers, either.

Buffy felt more than a little smug at his astonishment. The look of grudging respect she received a moment later was just icing on the cake.

"Okay," he said slowly as he gave her an appraising look. "You've got my attention. For now."

Buffy rolled her eyes as she released his arm. The ego on this guy was incredible. Still, she found his response encouraging. He could've attacked her outright, but he hadn't. It made her think that maybe he wasn't a complete asshat after all.

"Relax. I'm not here to cause problems," she assured him. "It's like I said back in the restaurant. I need your help."

He laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Sorry, Pipsqueak. I don't take jobs. As you heard, I'm not in a guild anymore."

Firmly ignoring his less than flattering nickname for her for the sake of the larger goal, Buffy shook her head. "No, not like that. I… I need you to teach me dragon slayer magic."

He stared at her in disbelief before he shook his head. "It's not something you can just learn," he replied. "You need to be taught by a dragon, and they haven't been seen for years. Centuries even, depending on who you talk to."

Buffy's head was spinning with this new information. It didn't make sense - why would dragons give people the magic to kill them? How was he a dragon slayer if the dragons had disappeared, particularly if his implication that they hadn't been seen for hundreds of years was correct? And why had Ultear said she would become one with that implant?

Abruptly, Buffy's eyes honed in on the scar over his eye. Following her hunch, she pulled the neckline of her shirt down to reveal her own scar.

"Is that really the only way?"

If she were right, he would know what she was implying. If not, then it would be no harm no foul.

Judging by the way his eyes went round as saucers, he knew _exactly_ what she was talking about.

"Shit. You have a dragon lacrima," he breathed in amazement, his eyes flitting back and forth from her scar to her face until they finally settled on the latter. Then his gaze hardened. "How?"

The air around them crackled with electricity as he stared at her. Buffy returned his look unflinchingly, and, instead of answering his question, challenged him with one of her own.

"Will you help me?"

The effect was instantaneous. His eyes dropped away, as did his arrogance.

"I'm the last person you want help from," he muttered darkly. Then, without looking at her, he turned around and began walking away.

Buffy watched him go. Though a part of her wanted to chase him down, she knew she couldn't force him to help her. She wasn't entirely sure she wanted him to. Still, she was disappointed as she turned to leave in the opposite direction.

"If you want help, go to Fairy Tail."

Buffy froze at the sound of his voice.

He was telling her to go to Fairy Tail. The guild with the reputation.

She whirled around, only to see that he was still walking away.

"Why? Is there a dragon slayer there?" she called out.

The guy chuckled. "You could say that." Then he disappeared around the corner.

Buffy frowned. There was no reason to believe he was telling the truth. On the other hand, there was no reason to believe he was lying. All she did know was that there was only one way to find out.

It looked like she was going to see what all the fuss was about Fairy Tail after all.

* * *

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews! Fan fic writers don't get paid, so reviews are our bread and butter!


	4. Chapter 4: People are Strange

A/N: Thank you for the reviews and follows!

* * *

 _People are strange when you're a stranger_

If Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus shook Buffy's assumptions about guilds, Fairy Tail completely blew them out of the water. There was no question about it. Fairy Tail was a force unto itself. It was also the complete opposite of what she had been expecting from one of the strongest guilds in Fiore.

And she could tell all that just by looking at the guild hall.

The building was huge. Surrounded by an impressive stone and iron gate, it was over three stories high and made completely of stone, looking more like a castle than anything else, complete with giant torches lining the battlements. It towered over all other buildings in Magnolia, rivaled only by the cathedral on the other side of town. At its peak was a giant belfry, with a massive bell housed inside. Just underneath that, hanging from the topmost tier of the building, was a giant flag with the Fairy Tail insignia on it, all but declaring itself master to none as it fluttered gently in the breeze.

And yet, somehow, it was also the friendliest, most laid back guild hall she had ever seen. Just inside the gate was an outdoor cafe, which was always filled with laughing, happy guild members. In the seven days Buffy had spent observing the place, no less than 80 wizards of all shapes and sizes and abilities walked in and out of the hall, and they were almost always interacting with each other, teasing and joking like they didn't have a care in the world. She also frequently heard the sound of raucous partying inside. Between that and the ever present smell of alcohol, she could only assume they had non-stop keggers.

It was no wonder the guild members stuck close to home whenever they were around, almost always choosing the guild hall over the local restaurants and bars. They lived and breathed Fairy Tail.

Unfortunately, that made it difficult for Buffy to observe the guild in her usual manner. She hadn't even bothered to get a job yet; as big as Magnolia was, there were no restaurants within ear or eyeshot. Instead, she had spent the last week lingering around the nearby businesses or pretending to read a book along the edge of a fountain across the street.

Today, however, was different; her goal was different. Instead of keeping her usual distance, she ventured much, much closer, pretending to browse around the goofy looking Fairy Tail souvenir shop just outside the guild hall. Though she was vaguely aware of the store clerk and his attempts to interest her in bobble-headed toys and keychains, her attention was solely on the guild hall and its members as they entered and exited the building, catching snippets of their conversation as they passed by.

 _"_ _... see Mira today? She was lookin' good!"_

 _"... take that job request? I'm in if you…"_

 _"Alberona was hogging that last barrel of beer! I swear, one of these days, I'm going to challenge her for it… Maybe… If I'm really thirsty…"_

 _"... will win the next fight, Natsu or Gajeel? My money's on…"_

Buffy's ears perked up at that last part.

As it turned out, the human lightning rod had not been lying to her. Fairy Tail had not one, not two, but _three_ dragon slayers amongst its ranks, something the guild was extraordinarily proud of. They were Natsu, a fire dragon slayer, Gajeel, an iron dragon slayer, and Wendy, a sky dragon slayer. Though Buffy had yet to see them, she frequently heard their names, and she was always interested in whatever tidbit of information she could get on them - particularly the odds on favorite in a fight.

From what she heard, it was a toss up between Natsu and Gajeel, varying widely within the group. The consensus, however, was that they both were pretty powerful.

Without a doubt, Fairy Tail was where she needed to be - if she could just bring herself to walk inside. So far, however, her feet wouldn't move past the souvenir shop.

It was funny, really. Stop an apocalypse? Bring it. Face down a Hell God? Buffy didn't flinch. Try to join a magical frat house? She felt like she was going to hurl.

It really shouldn't have been so difficult, though. After observing all the members and the day to day operations, she was fairly confident the requirements for joining Fairy Tail weren't too strenuous. More importantly, they'd be too busy partying to take much notice of her, allowing her to finally make some headway in finding her way home.

Letting that last thought fuel her, Buffy pushed aside her lingering doubts. After taking a deep breath, she strode up to the massive double doors, pulled on the brass handle, and walked inside.

It was just like she had pictured it, only… more.

The guild itself looked like the Great Hall from Harry Potter, with high vaulted ceilings and lines of tables that covered most of the main floor. It might've even been bigger; this space also had a full bar and even a stage, and the upper levels were lined with balconies that overlooked the main floor. Scattered throughout the main hall were dozens and dozens of wizards, just hanging out and having fun.

"Oh, so you finally decided to come in!"

Buffy gave a start at the sound of a very sweet, very feminine voice. Whirling around, she found herself face to face with the most gorgeous woman she had ever seen. Only a few years older than Buffy at most, she had long snowy white hair, a heart shaped face, and sapphire blue eyes, not to mention a body Buffy would've killed for. And she was looking straight at her.

Buffy winced. Apparently, her espionage skills needed work. Before she could explain her behavior, though, the woman continued to talk.

"Are you looking to post a job request?"

Buffy shook her head. "Actually, I'm looking to join," she said slowly, watching closely for the other woman's reaction.

She needn't have worried. As soon as the words left Buffy's mouth, the other woman's face lit up.

"Wonderful! I'm Mirajane, by the way, but everyone here calls me Mira," she said brightly. "Wait here, and I'll go get the Master!"

"Wait!" Buffy called out, a bit desperately even to her ears.

At that moment, though, she didn't care. It was all moving too fast. She had been hoping for a chance to take a look around, maybe get a tour, _something_ before signing on the dotted line, but it was too late; Mira was already gone, disappearing in the crowd of people.

Awkwardly, Buffy stood there and waited, fighting the temptation to leave. She stayed, though, and a few agonizing minutes later, Mira returned. Walking next to her was a little old man - emphasis on 'little'. Seriously, he barely came up to Buffy's waist. He looked friendly, though, and when he caught sight of Buffy, he gave her a warm smile.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail. I am Makarov Dreyar, the Guild Master here. What is your name, child?"

"Buffy Summers."

"Well, Buffy, Mira tells me you are looking to join our guild. Tell me, why is it you wish to join Fairy Tail?"

Buffy opened her mouth, her cover story on the tip of her tongue, but the words never came. She thought she was ready, but she wasn't, so she said the only thing she could.

"I don't!"

Both Mira and Makarov looked startled by her reply. Flustered, Buffy quickly tried to cover. It wasn't easy, though. For a few moments, she floundered for a reasonable and not at all crazy sounding explanation, until the smell of food wafted over to her, giving her a much needed stroke of genius.

"I mean, not as a wizard. I can't perform magic," she explained, which wasn't a lie, per se. "I was hoping you might need a waitress."

"Ah, but you must still be a member of the guild to do that," Makarov said gravely. "Are you willing to endure the trials all Fairy Tail wizards must undertake in order to join?"

Buffy felt her heart drop. So there was a test after all.

"I-"

"Master!" Mira scolded as she put her hands on her hips. "Be nice! You're going to frighten her away. You know I could use the help."

Makarov seemed to wither under Mira's stern look. "Sorry, my dear," he winced. Clearing his throat, he looked at Buffy. "Welcome to the guild!"

Buffy felt her jaw drop. "That's it?!"

"That's it!" Mira chirped.

Still in disbelief, Buffy just stared.

Makarov smiled gently at her confusion. "We welcome all to our guild, and once you join, you are _nakama_. You are family. As long as you are a part of Fairy Tail, you will always have a place to call home. It does not matter-"

He was cut off abruptly when a wooden bench hit him square in the head as a fight broke out a short distance from them. His eyes glowing with anger, Makarov grew larger and larger, until he was at least thirty feet tall, his head almost brushing the ceiling as his whole being was encompassed by an ominous shadow.

"You little brats! Stealing away your Master's dignity when he's trying to welcome a new member!" he raged.

The fight immediately stopped, with those involved prostrating themselves at Makarov's feet.

"We're so sorry, Master!"

"We didn't mean it!"

"What he said!"

With a mixture of fascination and alarm, Buffy stared at the spectacle before her. Before she could see how it played out, she felt a tug on her arm. She turned to see Mira smiling at her.

"Come with me, Buffy. You need your guild mark to make it official," she said. When she saw the way Buffy's eyes strayed toward Makarov, she giggled. "Oh, don't worry about that. This kind of thing happens all the time. He'll cool down in a moment."

Sure enough, the towering mountain began to shrink, leaving a disgruntled little old man in its place. As he turned to leave, Buffy could've sworn she saw a twinkle of affection in his eyes for the same people who had incurred his wrath only moments before.

Wondering just what the hell she had gotten herself into, Buffy let herself be led away toward the bar. Her curiosity piqued a moment later when Mira pulled what looked to be a stamp kit out from under the bar.

"Your guild mark," Mira explained. "To signify to the entire world where you belong. Now, where would you like it?"

Buffy bit her lip. After her experience with Eyghon, she hadn't really planned on getting inked ever again, but it seemed like there was no way around it. Besides, it was a stamp; there wasn't a single needle in sight. It seemed silly to make a fuss over something that could very well wash away within a week or so.

Deciding to just go with it, she presented her left shoulder blade to Mira, who promptly stamped the area with the mark.

Buffy immediately felt a tingle of magic as it settled onto her skin. It felt… nice. Warm. Soothing even. It also felt very permanent.

"Hmm, interesting choice of color," Mira murmured. "It suits you, though."

Buffy frowned. She immediately craned her neck around to see her mark, to no avail. "What do you mean? What color is it?"

She had just assumed the color would be the same as the stamp pad. From the way Mira was talking, however, it sounded like there was more to it than that.

Mira just smiled. "See for yourself."

She held out a small handheld mirror for Buffy to see; before she could take it, however, someone else noticed them.

"Eh, what's this?"

Buffy glanced over her shoulder to see a girl looking right at her. She couldn't help but stare back. The girl was a pretty brunette, a year or two younger than Buffy, and she wearing nothing but a string bikini top and capris as she perched on top of the bar. What really got Buffy's attention, however, was the way she was guzzling her glass of alcohol, which she quickly refilled from the giant cask sitting next to her before draining it again.

Mira was completely unfazed by this. "Buffy, this is Cana Alberona. Cana, this is Buffy, the newest guild member," she explained. "She'll be helping me and Kinana here in the guild hall."

Cana squinted, her eyes a little glazed and unfocused. "New member, huh? I say we celebrate!" she exclaimed, as she poured herself another drink. Once it was full, she held it out to Buffy. "Here, this one's on me!"

Buffy didn't take the proffered glass, however. Drinking was definitely one thing she would _not_ be doing here. Thankfully, she had a ready made excuse to refuse the friendly gesture without seeming completely rude.

"Uh, sorry, but I just started working here-" she started to say, but Mira cut her off.

"Oh, don't be silly! This is your first day in Fairy Tail! Please enjoy it. Why don't you come in first thing tomorrow morning to start? I can show you around then and we can work out a schedule," she suggested.

Before Buffy could argue, Mira caught sight of a customer at the other end of the bar and hurried away.

Inwardly, Buffy winced as she watched Mira retreat, seeing her one excuse go out the window. She turned back to Cana, hoping she didn't offend the girl with an outright refusal. As it turned out, though, she didn't have to worry. Cana had already forgotten about her offer, having moved onto something - or more accurately, someone - else.

"Hey, Levy!" Cana shouted, as she took a swig from her glass. "Come meet the new girl!"

A small, blue-haired girl around Cana's age came walking towards them, a friendly smile on her face. "Another girl? We could certainly use another one to balance out all these guys! I'm Levy McGarden. It's nice to meet you."

"Buffy Summers," Buffy introduced herself.

"So you're new to the guild? Are you from Magnolia? I don't remember seeing you around town at all," Levy mused. When Buffy shook her head, Levy's eyes lit up. "Does that mean you'll be living in Fairy Hills?"

Buffy frowned. "Fairy Hills?"

Levy laughed a little self-consciously. "How silly of me! If you're new to town, there's no way you'd know about Fairy Hills. It's an all girls dormitory where most of the other Fairy Tail girls live. The rent's around 100,000 jewel depending on what you want, but it's-"

She was interrupted by the sound of Buffy choking at the thought of paying 100,000 jewel a month. "Uh, no, I'm paid up at the Magnolia Inn for the month already."

Levy frowned at what was the Earth Land equivalent of an Econolodge. "But you'll need something more permanent, right?"

Buffy shifted uncomfortably. She couldn't exactly explain that it didn't make sense for her to get an apartment if she didn't plan on staying long. She also didn't want to mention that she really didn't have the money for anything nicer.

Thankfully, Levy didn't notice. "At least let me give you a tour of Fairy Hills! You can see what it looks like," she offered. Then she giggled. "Oh, I know! You should come over soon and we can have a sleepover! I can tell you all about the guild."

Buffy gaped at her, completely caught off guard by the offer. "Are you guys always this nice? I mean, seriously, I could be an axe murderer for all you know!" she blurted out before she could stop herself.

She immediately cringed, waiting for Cana and Levy to freak out, but they just laughed, as if this were the funniest thing in the world. Not everyone thought it was a joke, though, and he voiced his displeasure with a low growl.

Scanning the crowd, Buffy quickly located the source of the sound. It wasn't difficult. Though the guy sitting at one of the benches on the other side of the hall, he was staring right at her, his red eyes intently watching her and Levy, clearly unhappy with their conversation.

He must've just arrived; Buffy didn't recognize him from her stakeout the previous week, and she definitely would've remembered him. He had a wild mane of black hair that reached his waist and studded piercings that lined his eyebrows, nose, and chin. He also had a cat, who was studying her just as intensely, though with less hostility. As he stood on two legs. With a sword strapped to his back.

Buffy had seen some unusual animals since she had arrived in Earth Land, but this was a first. She was so distracted by the cat, she missed what Cana said next. Judging by the way the brunette was looking Buffy up and down as she waited expectantly for answer, she knew she missed something, though.

"Huh?"

Cana smirked, laughter glinting in her eye. "I said, _are_ you an axe murderer?"

Buffy scowled. "No, but you don't know that," she retorted.

At this, the guy leapt to his feet and began stalking toward them, the cat not far behind.

Blissfully unaware of the trouble brewing behind her, Levy smiled. "So what do you say?"

"Oi, I don't think she wants to sleep on a pile of books. Or trip over them every time she tries to move."

At the sound of the gravelly voice behind her, Levy flushed. "Gajeel!"

Buffy gave a start at the name, recognizing it immediately. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice her reaction, as all eyes were on a furious Levy.

"You're gone for two weeks on a job, and that's the first thing you say to me, making me out to be some sort of… freak?!" she fumed.

"I call 'em like I see 'em, bookworm," Gajeel replied, the smirk on his face revealing that he had gotten the reaction he had wanted from Levy.

His eyes told a different story, though. They told Buffy that she should tread carefully around Levy or else. Seeing that his message had been received, he sauntered away without saying another word, as if he didn't have a care in the world.

The cat rolled his eyes at Gajeel's behavior. He went to follow, though not before nodding politely at the present company. "Ladies," he said, giving one last curious look at Buffy before he, too, left.

"Idiot," Levy muttered under her breath as she stared at Gajeel's retreating back. Then she took a deep breath and turned back to Buffy, as if the last few minutes hadn't happened. "So what do you say? Lucy's been away for forever, and I'm dying for some girl talk!"

"Hey, what about me?" Cana protested. "I'm here."

Levy rolled her eyes. "Well, we really can't talk here, not with the way certain people can hear, and you know as well as I do that drinking isn't allowed in Fairy Hills, not unless you want to face Erza's wrath."

"You're right," Cana shuddered. "Screw that! I'm out."

With a giggle, Levy turned back to Buffy expectantly, who fidgeted under the other girl's gaze.

"I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with everything," she admitted.

Levy's face fell at the subtle rejection, making Buffy feel like she had just kicked a puppy. She didn't give up, though. "Maybe another time then?"

Buffy smiled. "Definitely. I'd love to see your book collection some time."

Levy instantly brightened at this. "Alright," she conceded. "For now. In the meantime, let me introduce you to some of the people here."

Before Buffy knew what was happening, Levy whisked her away.

It was probably for the best. Buffy was on the verge of saying something stupid again out of guilt; for although she liked the girl, if it hadn't been for the mention of books, she never would've agreed to hang out - and it made her feel awful. It made her feel like Gajeel had been right to mistrust her. As Levy took her through a whirlwind of meet and greets, however, Buffy was able to tamp her guilt down, as all her concentration was needed on the names and faces that flashed before her in rapid succession.

Halfway through the introductions, Buffy knew there was no way she would remember a third of the people there. Thankfully, not everyone cared who she was. She got a handful or so of polite but friendly nods and nothing else. Others were too caught up in their partying to really notice her. The ones that were interested, however, wanted to know all about her. Her brain was hurting after awhile, dodging and weaving their questions like Muhammed Ali. She lasted as long as she could, but eventually she called for mercy, extricating herself from Levy's grasp and dashing toward the door before anyone could stop her. When she stepped outside, she took a few steadying breaths.

She was finally in a guild, which brought her one huge step closer to her goal. It definitely wasn't as easy as she'd thought it would be, though. In fact, after spending so many months in voluntary solitude, it was quite the culture shock. She actually found it overwhelming to be with so many other people, particularly ones who had accepted her, a complete stranger, without question. That had to make them either the craziest guild in the world or the nicest.

Buffy had a feeling the answer lay somewhere in between.

Almost unconsciously, her fingers traced her guild mark. For the second time that day, she wondered what she had gotten herself into.

"Leaving so soon?"

Buffy jumped in surprise, having been so lost in thought that she didn't sense someone approaching. She immediately spun around to face Makarov.

Nervously clearing her throat, she nodded. "Uh, yeah, it's been a busy day, and I have some things to take care of," she said.

He pursed his lips together thoughtfully. "Very well. We will see you tomorrow, then?"

When she nodded again, he smiled but said nothing more. Relieved, Buffy turned to leave. Before she could take a step, however, Makarov spoke.

"Oh, and Buffy? Know that when you are ready to talk, we are ready to listen," he said solemnly.

Like a deer in the headlights, Buffy froze at his words. She had to force herself to nod before she hurried off. For the rest of the day, his words echoed in her head, taking up all her thoughts as she wondered what he knew, how he knew. It was a relief when she finally went to sleep - at least, until the dream started.

* * *

 _Buffy was surrounded by trees, and she could hear the ocean. All the leaves began to wither, however, as a darkness descended over the ground, filling her with a sense of dread. At the same time, the air grew thick, stifling, blocking out light and sound, until even the crashing waves faded away._

 _Suddenly, a loud explosion rent the air._

 _Running, Buffy headed toward the sound. Each path led to a dead end, though. Frustrated, she began pushing her way through the brambles. The foliage was so thick, however, she couldn't see a thing. Still, she managed to make it to the edge of the clearing before she stumbled over something._

 _Cursing as she hit the ground, she looked behind her to see what it was._

 _She felt all the blood drain from her face when she saw Makarov's lifeless body lying on the ground. She tried to go to him, but a ring of fire sprouted up around him, the flames so hot they began to singe her skin._

 _Then ground began to shake. It started off small, just a pebble or two vibrating on the ground. It quickly escalated, however, until Buffy could barely stand. With it came this feeling of utter desolation._

 _It was then that she knew._

 _Death was coming._

* * *

A/N: And… she's in. With a lot of Fairy Tail characters in the mix. What do you think? Also, for those of you unfamiliar with Fairy Tail, yes, they really are that friendly and accepting. I swear I'm not writing OOC. :)


	5. Chapter 5: Soul Kitchen

A/N: Sorry for the delay in updating! Some unexpected RL craziness threw my schedule off, but I should be back on track now. Thank you again for the reviews, favorites and follows!

* * *

 _Let me sleep all night in your soul kitchen  
Warm my mind near your gentle stove_

Buffy awoke with a jolt, her heart pounding with the images of death and despair still fresh in her mind. She felt a little better when the ubiquitous furnishings of her hotel room came into focus - something she thought she'd never say - but she was still far from okay; unless she was mistaken, she had just woken from a slayer dream.

At least, that was what she thought at first. As her mind cleared, however, she began to second guess herself. There just wasn't any rhyme or reason why she would have a slayer dream in a demon-free world. More likely than not, it was just a nightmare. She'd definitely had her fair share since she had arrived in Earth Land. Sometimes Ultear had a starring role, other times it was Glory and Dawn. This was probably just a new one, her subconscious influenced by the people she had met.

By the time she rolled over and looked at the alarm clock, Buffy had pretty much convinced herself it was just a bad dream; whether it was because she truly believed it or because she simply didn't want to face the facts, she didn't know. She never found out, either. When she got a good look at the time, all thoughts of her dream vanished.

She was going to be late for her first day at work.

Vaulting out of bed, she pulled on the first thing she could find and dashed into the bathroom. With only enough time to take care of the bare necessities, she quickly used one hand to run a brush through her hair and the other to brush her teeth. As soon as she was done, she turned to leave. As she did, however, a grayish-blue blob on her shoulder caught her eye.

Her guild mark, she realized.

Buffy took a moment to study the tattoo. Frankly, she was a little disappointed. She had seen other guild marks, and they were all bright, bold colors. Hers seemed… blah, resembling the color of a storm cloud more than anything else. And yet Mira said it suited her.

Though she wondered what the woman meant by that, Buffy had no time to think about it. She quickly left her hotel room and raced toward Fairy Tail.

"Good morning, Buffy!" Mira greeted her as she entered the guild hall. "I'd like to introduce you to Kinana. She also helps me out around here."

Slightly out of breath from her sprint, Buffy nodded at the purple-haired girl, who shyly nodded back.

Mira beamed at them both. "Come with me, Buffy. I'll show you around the kitchen, explain how we do things here, and then we'll get you started."

It was a fairly straight-forward setup, similar to the other waitressing jobs she'd had - well, except for the tips on how to avoid flying chairs and people, but Buffy had her own skills for that, so it didn't phase her in the slightest.

The first real hitch occurred when they walked into the kitchen. Up until that point, Buffy had been able to ignore the tantalizing smell of bacon and baked goods that wafted from the stove. As soon as Mira opened the door, however, she was hit full on, and her stomach let out a small gurgle, not so subtly reminding her that she hadn't eaten any breakfast - or dinner the previous night.

It was a side effect of moving to a new town, where food was often sacrificed for the cost of train tickets and other travel expenses until she could find a job. Coupled with her time in the desert, her stomach went into panic mode at the first sign of a skipped meal. This time was worse than usual, too, seeing as she hadn't bothered to find an income stream for her first whole week in Magnolia. Still, she had become used to it; expected it even.

That didn't make it any less embarrassing.

Buffy clutched her stomach, silently willing it to be quiet, but it was a losing battle. As Mira pointed out where the different supplies were kept, her stomach let out another rumble, this one much louder than the last, making it impossible to ignore.

"Oh, my!" Mira exclaimed. "You sit yourself down at the bar and I'll make a plate for you. On the house, of course."

"I couldn't," Buffy protested, thoroughly embarrassed to be mooching off her place of employment. She couldn't offer to pay, either. They had already gone over the prices, and she knew they were way out of her meager budget.

Mira didn't accept this, though. "Don't be silly. I insist."

"No, honestly, I-" Buffy started to say, but the words died in her throat when she saw Mira's reaction.

The perpetually sunny woman's whole demeanor changed at Buffy's refusal, her expression darkening in a way Buffy hadn't thought possible. The look on her face became so fierce, so blood-curdling, it was worthy of a demon from the Hellmouth. Stunned, Buffy could only nod in acceptance.

Just like that, the look evaporated, and Mira gave her a cheery smile.

Before Buffy knew what was happening, she was sitting at the bar with a big plate of food in front of her. Suspicious, she took a big whiff when Mira wasn't looking, partly convinced the food must've been poisoned. She didn't smell anything amiss, though, so after another long moment, she picked up the fork and dug in.

Was she glad she did. Mira was like Julia Child wrapped in a Victoria's Secret body. Before she could stop herself, Buffy wolfed down the entire plate. It never even crossed her mind to refuse seconds.

She had just managed to clear her plate a second time when some of the guild members began filtering in. Officially on the clock, Buffy went to work, feeling decidedly more chipper than before. Sadly, it wasn't made to last.

Like yesterday, many of her customers were friendly, asking Buffy all sorts of questions about herself. It took her forever just to get through their orders, and yet no one seemed to mind. They were way more interested in her than the food.

It was the difference between working at a restaurant and a guild hall, she realized. In all her previous jobs, she was just a nameless server. Here, however, she was one of them. Like Makarov had said, she was _family_.

That complicated things considerably. Buffy wasn't looking for attachments. In fact, she was avoiding them at all costs. Up until this point, it hadn't been all that difficult to do, so this threw her.

As she walked toward the bar, pondering this new development, she saw Cana there, perched in the same spot as last night - and she was already drinking. When she saw Buffy looking at her, she winked.

"Just a little pick me up to start the day," she explained.

Buffy raised her eyebrow. "Most people drink coffee for that."

Cana snickered. "I know, right? They don't know what they're missing. But that just means more for me!" she said as she lovingly embraced her drink.

Despite herself - and her real concern for Cana's liver - Buffy laughed at the girl's antics, her first genuine one in ages.

"Well, hello, there. I haven't seen you around here before," a deep, male voice said from behind her.

Buffy's laughter abruptly stopped, surprised that someone actually caught her off guard; even though she had been distracted by Cana, she still should've sensed someone approaching.

Feeling annoyed at herself, she quickly spun around, curious to see who had successfully snuck up on her, only to see a tall man with bright orange hair, giving her an exceedingly charming grin. Though his cloak was tattered and he had a scruffy, permanent five o'clock shadow look, he was clearly not lacking in confidence - or power. He had an air about him that exuded both. Buffy knew without a doubt that the prosthetic arm and leg pf his did not slow him down one bit. He was also noticeably older than the majority of the other guild members, probably pushing 40. That didn't seem to bother him when it came to hitting on younger women, though.

He was an intriguing man, to say the least. Unfortunately, he mistook her interest for _interest_.

Eyes gleaming, he leaned in. "I'm Gildarts," he continued. "And you are?"

"Not interested in some pervy old man," Cana cut in before Buffy could reply.

Gildarts looked offended - right before breaking out into boisterous laughter. "Well, if you ever want to get a drink, get to know each other a bit better, maybe even tell me your name, I'm around," he winked at Buffy. Then he sauntered away, sitting with some other wizards at the back of the guild hall.

"Yeah, he's around, until he's _not_ ," Cana muttered.

Buffy was surprised by the bitterness in Cana's voice. Clearly, the two had a history, and with Gildarts' obviously flirtatious behavior, she could guess why. Wanting to set the record straight, she caught the brunette's eye.

"Just so you know, I'm not interested in him. So whatever's going on between you two-"

Cana spewed out her alcohol before Buffy could finish her sentence. "What a waste," she said mournfully, staring at the spilled liquor before looking at Buffy, the disgust written all over face. "No, it's not like that, _at all_. I only meant that Gildarts is never around when you need him. Stupid S-class wizard."

Buffy frowned. "S-class wizard?"

Cana looked at her for a moment, stunned, before she burst out laughing. "Boy, you really are new to this, aren't you? S-class wizards are the best of the best, a guild's most powerful mages. There are special missions available only to them, usually because the chances of getting killed are so high. Not every guild has an S-class, either. Hell, as strong as our guild is, we only have three; Gildarts, Mira, and Erza. Even when we had five, Gildarts over there was easily the best of _them_ , which is why he's gone a lot, since he always takes the longest and toughest job requests. Actually, come to think of it, the Master will be holding the S-class promotion trials soon," she explained. Then, for some reason, a glum expression stole over her features. "I need another drink. Want one?"

"Sorry, I'm on the clock," Buffy declined.

Cana shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Another group filtered in just then, so Buffy left Cana to her alcohol.

One of the new people to arrive was Levy, who sat at a table near the bar. After giving Buffy a sunny wave and indicating that she was all set food-wise, she opened the book she was carrying and began reading. Two guys - Jet and Droy, if she remembered correctly - immediately flanked Levy, vying for her attention.

Buffy quickly lost track of the other girl, however. The breakfast crowd was picking up, and she spent the next two hours on her feet. When her last table finally cleared out, she was more than ready for a break. As she headed over to the bar to ask if it was alright, Mira appeared on the other side.

"So I see you caught Gildarts' eye. He is quite handsome, isn't he?"

Taken aback by the question, Buffy made a sputtering noise. "Uh, I guess," she said slowly. "Do you mind if I take a quick break?"

She knew she was being a little abrupt, but she felt awkward with this particular line of questioning and wanted to change the subject as quickly as possible. Thankfully, Mira followed her lead.

"Of course not," she smiled. Fussing with something under the counter, she pulled out a plate of food. "I overestimated the amount of fruit casserole I'd need for the morning crowd. Would you like to have some while you're on your break?"

Buffy wasn't really that hungry, but it was an easy way to avoid any more awkward questions, so without a word, she took the plate and began eating.

* * *

The lunch crowd turned out to be a lot rowdier than the breakfast one; probably because they had all finally recovered from their hangovers from the previous day. That was when Buffy got her first real taste of what Fairy Tail was like.

Mira had not been joking about needing to dodge flying chairs or people. No less than five fights broke out in the first hour. None of them were serious, though; they all ended with laughter or with the combatants sheepishly cleaning up their mess under Mira's watchful eye. It was interesting, to say the least. She actually preferred the fights to all the questions she had to field once again - and the date requests.

Apparently, as the new girl, she was attracting a lot of attention. A handful of guys and one girl had already asked her out in that first hour, all of whom she politely declined. That alone made things a little awkward. What really unnerved her, though, was the way Mira had witnessed each and every awkward moment. Her boss' eyes were practically gleaming every time Buffy went back to the bar for her orders. Buffy could see she was dying to ask her questions all about it. Luckily, she was too busy to stay and chat, but it was only a matter of time before Mira caught her.

Everyone was obsessed with hooking up and dating here, Buffy grumbled to herself. It wasn't just Fairy Tail, either. She remembered Ren, Hibiki, and Eve from Blue Pegasus all too well. Apparently, all of Earth Land was caught up in some hormonal abnormality.

Then it hit her. There was nothing unusual about it. This was what normal people did - well, maybe not Mira, because her level of interest seemed abnormal no matter which way you sliced it - but definitely the others. It was what she had always wanted, and now she had it.

Except she didn't want it here. Buffy didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

As if her day wasn't bad enough, Gajeel chose that exact moment to walk into the guild hall. Looking just as forbidding as he had the day before, he plunked himself down onto a bench two tables away from Levy, who was still immersed in her book; not close enough to bother her but enough so he could keep an eye on her. Jet and Droy were nowhere in sight.

Though Buffy would've loved to ignore him, that wasn't an option, not according to her job description. Taking a deep breath, she briskly walked over to him, wanting to get it over with as quickly as possible.

"Can I get you-"

"No," he interrupted. "Get lost."

Buffy frowned at his brusqueness. Clearly, he wanted to be left alone, but the rudeness was uncalled for. So were the subsequent dark looks he gave her after that.

At first, Buffy responded to each of his glares with one of her own, feeling more than a little satisfaction at his obvious surprise. She quickly learned, however, not to take it personally; in reality, he gave those looks to everyone except Levy. The only time he even came close to changing his gruff expression for someone other than her was when another blue-haired girl came in and sat beside him, looking like her puppy had just died. Then the look on his face was one of utter exasperation.

"What the fuck, Juvia? Get ahold of yourself, would ya?" he muttered. "I thought you put all this gloom and doom shit behind you. You're gonna bring the whole place down."

Buffy, who was in the middle of clearing the table in between Gajeel and Levy, thought he was hardly the one to talk about mood-setting, but she held her tongue, fascinated by the exchange.

"It's just…" Juvia sighed, hanging her head even lower. "You're right, Gajeel. I should go."

She quickly got to her feet. If possible, Gajeel became even more exasperated.

"That's not what I meant," he growled.

But Juvia was too far gone in her misery to hear him. She trudged away without a backwards glance. When she passed by Buffy, she didn't spare her a single look, even though she had to step around her to get by. She simply stared at the ground as she slipped past, muttering under her breath.

"Drip, drop, drip, drop."

It was so strange, Buffy forgot that she was trying to stay incognito and stared after the girl.

"What the fuck are you looking at?"

With a start, Buffy turned to see Gajeel glaring at her. Before she could respond, he got to his feet and stormed out of the guild hall, in the opposite direction of Juvia.

The whole encounter was… weird.

"And what's with the 'drip, drop'?" she wondered aloud.

"Oh, that's Juvia," Mira piped up, having come up behind Buffy after witnessing the entire exchange. "She's a water mage, so she talks that way sometimes. Actually, she has a… unique way of speaking altogether, but she's really quite sweet when you get to know her. She'll be better once Team Natsu returns from their latest job."

"Team Natsu?" Buffy asked.

Mira shook her head. "That's right! You haven't met them yet! Everyone tend to work in teams for the bigger missions. Natsu, Erza, Gray, Lucy, and Happy are Team Natsu. They're away on a job request right now with Wendy and Carla, but they should be back in a few days."

Buffy silently absorbed the information. Part of her was disappointed; now that she was finally in a guild, she was eager to learn as much as she could as quickly as she could. Learning that two of the three dragon slayers weren't even there was a huge blow, particularly since Gajeel was the one left behind. Since _that_ was clearly an exercise in futility, she had no choice but to wait. Learning Juvia was a water mage was intriguing, though, and an angle she hadn't considered. There was definitely possibility there since her own magical affinity seemed to be water-based - if she could get over the girl's strangeness.

Determined to think it over when she had time, Buffy turned her attention back to Mira, who was still talking in her usual cheery way.

"How is everything going? It looks like you're fitting in just fine."

"Everyone's so nice here," Buffy replied honestly. "It's not that hard."

Mira beamed at her. "Wonderful. And I see you even got Gajeel to talk to you! He hardly speaks to anyone."

She said it like it was a huge accomplishment, or at the very least as a compliment, which was ridiculous after hearing what Gajeel had actually said. Buffy could only stare at Mira incredulously, wondering what kind of world the woman lived in. She wasn't about to contradict her boss, though, so she simply nodded.

Unfortunately, she couldn't do the same for Mira's next question.

"So tell me, has anyone caught your eye yet?"

And there it was, the question Buffy knew was coming and tried her best to avoid. As she tried to figure out how she should respond, a sudden motion out of the corner of her eye caught her attention.

Well in earshot sitting only a few feet behind Mira, Levy's head immediately shot up from her book as she began frantically shaking her head.

Recognizing a warning when she saw it, Buffy took her cue accordingly as she answered Mira's question.

"No," she said firmly. "I'm not really looking to date right now."

The disappointment was written all over Mira's face. "Oh… Well, when you're ready, I'm sure they'll be flocking to you!"

Seeing Kinana needed her for something, Mira left. As soon as she was out of earshot, Buffy sat down in the seat opposite Levy, hoping she wouldn't get in trouble for it. "So what was that all about? Why the emergency flare?"

Levy looked down sheepishly. "Sorry. It's just that Mira tends to be very… enthusiastic when it comes to potential love matches. She'll get wind of a crush, and suddenly those two people find themselves in very compromising, very awkward situations."

Buffy's eyes widened, making a mental note not to even smile at a guy in Mira's presence. The woman was all sweetness and roses, but Buffy had already seen firsthand how scarily intense she could be.

"Thanks for the heads up," she said.

Levy gave her a shy smile. She opened her mouth a moment later, obviously wanting to say something, but she hesitated. At the same time, a large group of guys walked in, obviously looking for some food. With a groan, Buffy got to her feet.

"Sorry," she apologized. "I've got to go."

Unfortunately, this group had no qualms about flirting like crazy with her. As she returned to the bar to put their orders in, she could see that Mira was ready to pounce again, obviously not having heard a word Buffy had said.

Since the direct route obviously wasn't working, Buffy did the only thing she could.

"Hey Mira, do you mind if I take a break? I'm starving."

Just as she suspected, Mira forgot all about her nosy questions and scurried toward the kitchen. Before Buffy could blink, there was a plate of food in front of her, and, as she discovered, as long as she had food in her mouth, she didn't have to talk.

* * *

Buffy spent the next five days dodging any questions about her love life by constantly mentioning how hungry she was. She almost thought Mira was doing it on purpose, pretending to ask her about some random guy just so Buffy would eat. The free food didn't end there, either. After every shift without fail, Buffy had a plate of food waiting for her, and it wasn't the low cal kind.

The first few times, Buffy seriously questioned Mira's motives. It definitely wasn't the way to run a business. She quickly learned, however, that her boss was a mother hen to the entire guild. For some reason, she had taken a particular shine to Buffy and Kinana, taking them under her wing and acting as a big sister to them both, in every sense of the word. She made it her mission to 'help' the two of them in the areas she apparently thought they needed it the most. For Kinana, it was putting the shy girl in social situations she would normally avoid. For Buffy, it was keeping her fed. All the time.

A part of Buffy wanted to refuse. Having experienced scarcity mode far more than she ever wanted to, however, she couldn't resist. Her stomach wouldn't let her. It was totally worth swallowing her pride. At this rate, though, she would soon need a whole new wardrobe.

With a sigh, Buffy made a mental note to put all the money she was saving on food toward clothes. Seeing that all her tables were taken care of, she headed toward the one Levy was sitting at.

It had become a routine of Buffy's, where she would chat with the other girl during her breaks. Sometimes Cana would join them, but for the most part, it was just the two of them, talking about everyday things at the guild.

Today when she reached the table, however, Levy stood up.

"I'm sorry, Buffy, but I can't stay. I'm doing some research for a job, and I need a few books at my place," she said apologetically. "It will be easier if I stay there rather than lug the books back and forth."

Buffy was shocked to discover that she was actually disappointed. It must've shown on her face, because Levy looked even more distressed.

"I'm sorry, I wish I could… hey!" she brightened. "Why don't you come with me? I can finally show you around Fairy Hills."

Buffy hesitated. She still felt guilty at the thought of using the girl for her books, which was why she hadn't pressed the issue since that first invitation. It was complicated by the fact that she genuinely enjoyed Levy's company, which brought its own slew of conflicting emotions.

On the other hand, she _was_ dying to read more about magic; there were too many prying eyes for her to feel comfortable using the guild's library. Team Natsu still hadn't returned and she hadn't seen hide nor hair of Juvia since that first meeting, so she was striking out there, too.

Buffy bit her lip, feeling completely torn. Of course, if she stayed silent too much longer, the decision would be made for her. Levy had taken Buffy's reluctance that first day to heart, tiptoeing around their friendship ever since. It would set the sensitive girl off in a panic if she thought she had pushed Buffy too far.

Making up her mind on the spot, she nodded. "I'd love to come with. I just need to close out my tables. After that, if Mira's okay with me taking a break, I'm all for a tour."

Buffy had assumed that Mira would be okay with a small break. When she heard what Buffy's plans were, however, she ordered Buffy not to come back until lunch, claiming that the guild hall would be quiet until then.

Again, it was the oddest way to run a business, but Buffy didn't question it. She was finally going to get a crack at some magical books.

* * *

A/N: In the words of Willow: "I think this line's mostly filler." But it's okay if it's important filler… right?


	6. Chapter 6: Light My Fire

A/N: Thank you for the reviews and follows! You help keep me honest with my update schedule. :)

* * *

 _Come on baby, light my fire  
Try to set the night on fire_

Fairy Hills was gorgeous. There was no denying it. It was an enormous brick mansion with hardwood floors and gorgeously appointed rooms. It was also way out of Buffy's price range.

With no chance of ever living there, she was more than happy to keep the tour short and go to Levy's room. Even that turned out to be a surprise, though. As she stepped inside, she couldn't help but gasp.

Gajeel hadn't been joking about the books. Levy's room had floor to ceiling bookshelves lining the walls. Though they were neatly organized, they were bursting at the seams.

"I know," Levy mumbled, her cheeks pink with embarrassment. "It's a lot, but-"

Buffy shook her head. "No, it's incredible," she replied. As she ran her fingers over the covers and skimmed the titles, she couldn't help but think of Giles - or the way he would've drooled over this collection. "Consider me impressed."

Levy brightened at Buffy's genuine interest. "Really? You're not just humoring me? Because most of our guild is more interested in fighting instead of reading."

Buffy paused in her perusal to glance at Levy. Though she obviously wasn't telling the other girl everything - like who she really was or the reason why she was so interested in the books - she wasn't going to flat out lie.

"I'm more of an action girl myself," she replied truthfully. "But I'm dying to learn more about magic."

Levy grinned. "Well, then, I know just where you should start."

With that she, began pulling specific books off the shelves. Soon, Buffy had a pile of them in front of her. After settling on some cushions Levy had set up for her, she opened the book on top and began to read.

Though research had never been her strong suit in Sunnydale, Buffy was immediately drawn into the texts before her. It was fascinating, really. Apparently, magic in this world stemmed from ethernano, which were essentially magical particles that existed in all living organisms and could even be found in the air itself. Those who could use the ethernano by transforming it into magic were wizards. This was no easy feat; it took an alignment of someone's spirit with the spiritual flow of nature, creating a perfect balance between the two, which was only achieved after an enormous amount of concentration and mental training. It was the reason why there weren't many wizards around. Once that connection was made, however, wizards had a continual supply of magic. Whenever the ethernano within their bodies was depleted, they naturally absorbed it from the air, continuously refilling themselves and storing it in 'magical containers' within their bodies.

Because each wizard's body interacted slightly differently to the ethernano, the kind of magic produced was highly individualized, finely attuned to each specific wizard; conversely, each wizard typically could only produce one kind of magic. It sounded limiting, but in reality the possibilities were endless here. According to the books, there were hundreds of different types of magic, and each one had dozens and dozens of spells that went along with it.

All these types of magic were broken into categories, most of which fell into two main groups; Caster Magic and Holder Magic. Caster Magic was when the magic came from within the user. Holder Magic was when the user required an outside source, like a weapon or magical object, to produce magic. Wizards in one of these two categories were able to do things like manipulate an element of nature or teleport or possess animals.

Dragon slayer magic was in neither of those categories. It was considered a 'Lost Magic' - though clearly it wasn't as lost as they thought. Like the other kinds of magic, each dragon slayer possessed control over a specific type of element. Beyond this tidbit, however, which she had already guessed, Buffy discovered that information on dragon slayers was scarce even in the books Levy had given her. Though she was disappointed, she didn't have time to wallow in it, as a million questions were currently swirling around her head.

She wondered how it all would work for her. While she didn't have ethernano or the ability to transform it into magic like true wizards, she didn't have to; the lacrima did it for her, giving her the finished albeit artificial product itself, primed and bursting to get out. How she took that magic and controlled it, she didn't know, but she wanted to find out.

She also was curious how it worked for others.

Hoping she wasn't overstepping, Buffy paused in her reading to look up at Levy. "Can I ask you what kind of magic you have?"

"Hm?" Levy asked, still caught up in her own reading. "Oh! I'm a Solid Script Mage. It's a letter based magic where I can turn a word into its actual substance while still maintaining the form of the word."

At Buffy's confused look, she smiled apologetically. "Here, let me show you."

Moving her hand in a pattern, Levy shouted the word, "Fire!"

Instantly, the word 'FIRE' appeared in the air, each letter a blazing flame. When Levy pointed toward the fireplace, the word flew toward the hearth, instantly kindling the wood inside.

Buffy looked at the flames, impressed. "And you can do this for anything, no matter what the word or the substance? You're a handy person to have around."

Levy looked down at the ground. "I'm not the most useful one in a fight," she confessed. "Don't get me wrong. I love my magic and wouldn't trade it for the world. I just know its limitations. Even though I can create any element, I don't have the same power over it that other mages do. I can't manipulate the way they can, either."

"No, your magic is impressive. And important," Buffy insisted. "Besides, there's more to winning a war than fighting. There's more to _life_ than just fighting… or so I'm told."

The words were out before she even knew she'd said them, and there was no taking them back once they were out. There was no chance that Levy hadn't heard her, either, not with the look she was giving Buffy.

Feeling incredibly uncomfortable, Buffy looked down at the book in front of her, then at the still untouched stack.

"It's going to take me a year to get through all this," she groaned.

Levy blinked a few times before taking her cue to change to the subject. "Oh, how stupid of me! I should've given you these," she said as she pulled out a pair of glasses from a nearby drawer. They were red, with little wings at the outside corners of the frame. "They're Gale Force Wind Glasses. They allow the wearer to read at incredibly fast speeds."

Curious, Buffy put the glasses on and looked down at her book. She gasped when the words seemed to come flying off the page. It was like she was reading at warp speed, her eye racing over each sentence at an incredible pace. She read an entire book on Caster Magic in minutes. Because she was so unfamiliar with the content, though, she didn't always grasp the full meaning behind every sentence. After flying through her second book, she reluctantly took them off.

"Do you have any glasses to help with comprehension, too?" she asked hopefully.

Levy laughed. "Sorry, I don't. That's actually why I'm not using them myself. I really need to concentrate on the specific wording in some of these passages."

Buffy gave a dramatic sigh. "Oh well. It was worth a shot," she said. Then she looked over at the clock. "Oops. I gotta go. It's almost lunchtime."

Rising to her feet, she started to put the books back, but Levy shooed her away.

"Don't you worry about that. I'll take care of it," she said in mock consternation. Her expression quickly grew pensive, however, as if she were afraid of saying the wrong thing. "I'm- I'm glad you came over, Buffy. I was afraid I scared you away that first day."

Buffy looked down, a sense of shame filling her. "You didn't," she said as reassuringly as she could.

That only made things worse, though. Her guilt grew exponentially at the look of relief Levy gave her.

Awkwardly, Buffy walked toward the door. Before she left, however, she looked back.

"Hey, Levy? Thanks. For everything."

This confused Levy, having picked up on the hidden meaning behind Buffy's words but not understanding what it was. "Of course. Feel free to come back any time."

Buffy smiled. "I will."

She meant it, too, even though she knew deep down it wouldn't just be for the books.

* * *

"Hey, Buffy! Come here! We need your help!"

Buffy looked up from the current group she was waiting on over to Macao and Wakaba's table. Like Gildarts, they were two of the more 'senior' members of Fairy Tail, though in reality they were in their mid-thirties. They were usually super laid back, so she was surprised to see the way they were glaring at each other. Between that and the tone in Wakaba's voice when he had called over to her, the situation sounded dire. The only reason she didn't rush right over was because of Romeo, Macao's young son. He was looking at the two men like they had lost their minds.

After finishing up at her table, she walked over to them, doing her best to ignore the ever present stream of smoke wafting up from Wakaba's cigarette.

"What's up, guys? What do you need?"

"Nothing," Romeo cut in, clearly embarrassed by the whole situation.

Macao's eyes widened. "Son, this may seem trivial to you now, but when you're older you'll understand the enormity of the situation," he explained. Then he looked up at Buffy with pleading eyes. "Please, tell us the truth… whose hairline is receding more, mine or Wakaba's?"

Buffy's eyebrows shot up, and Romeo gave her a look that screamed 'I told you so'. When she turned her attention back toward the two men, she couldn't help but sneak a peek at their hairlines, both of which looked perfectly fine to her.

"Um…"

"Don't let this bastard's pompadour fool you, Buffy," Macao warned. "It's a smoke screen."

Wakaba scowled. "Ha ha, very funny," he replied as he took a drag from his cigarette. "You're just mad you didn't listen to me all those times I told you that gel crap you use to slick back your hair would make it fall out eventually."

"Like you're one to talk," Macao shot back. "As if your hair magically levitates in that fancy hair do of yours."

The two continued to bicker back and forth, completely forgetting about the other two people at their table.

"This is stupid," Romeo muttered.

Buffy patted the boy on the back sympathetically, knowing he was too young to understand what they were really arguing about. "Totally. It looks like this could take awhile, too. How about I get you some chocolate cake while you wait, my treat?"

Romeo's eyes lit up at this.

With a grin, Buffy quickly made her way to the bar and put a big slice of cake on a plate. After putting some money in the cash drawer to pay for it, she took it back to Romeo, who was bouncing in his seat with excitement.

"Thanks, Buffy, you're the best!"

With one last smile, Buffy made her way back to the bar, ready to take a quick break now that the initial lunch crush was dying down. As usual, she found a plate of food waiting for her. This time, however, there was also a slice of chocolate cake with it. When she looked over at Mira questioningly, the woman just winked.

Buffy wasn't going to complain and happily dug in.

She was halfway through her meal when she heard a commotion at the entrance of the guild hall. A second later, the wide double doors burst open, and a figure stood in the doorway, though the incoming sunlight obscured the person's face.

"Hey, guys, we're back! Mira, is there any lunch left? I'm starving!"

"A fish for me, please!"

Buffy watched as a pink-haired guy strode into the guild hall. On his head sat a blue cat. Both their eyes lit up in pure joy when they saw Mira set down two plates for them, one with food on it, the other a whole fish. Rushing toward the bar, the two newcomers sat down and immediately began stuffing their faces.

A few paces behind them were two girls - a redhead and a blonde - and guy with black, spiky hair. As they approached, Mira cocked her head to the side.

"Where's Wendy?" she asked. "I thought she went with you on this mission."

Buffy watched them closely for their reply, suddenly much more interested in this little group.

"She and Carla went back to Fairy Hills," the pink-haired guy explained through mouthfuls of food.

"For some reason, Carla thinks we're a bad influence on Wendy," the blonde said dryly, as she and the others reached the bar.

Because her eyes were focused on the pink-haired guy, she didn't see Buffy. The redhead's gaze immediately locked on her, though.

"And who is this?"

Mira smiled. "Oh, this is Buffy, the newest member of the guild."

The redhead marched over to her. "I am Erza," she said, her formal tone matching the armored top she wore, though her smile was friendly. "Welcome to Fairy Tail. I apologize I cannot stay, but I must speak to the Master about our mission and some… damage that may have occurred as a result."

With a nod, she quickly departed for one of the stairs leading up to Makarov's office. The remaining two looked at her with interest.

The guy nodded in greeting. "'Sup? I'm Gray."

Buffy smiled politely. "Hi. Nice to-"

"Another Love Rival!"

Buffy jumped at the sight of Juvia, who seemed to appear out of thin air next to Gray. It was the first time she had seen the water mage since that first day.

Up until that very moment, Buffy still held out hope that she could pick up a few tips from Juvia. Now however, she could see that it was never going to happen. The girl looked like she wanted Buffy dead. Unsure what she did to earn a death glare, Buffy looked around at the others for clues.

The whole situation didn't phase the blonde in the slightest; she actually seemed a little amused. Gray, however, looked beyond annoyed.

"That ain't true and you know it, Juvia," he scowled. "About you _or_ her, so just quit it, will ya?"

As Juvia began apologizing for 'offending her love' - and Gray attempted to pry her off his arm - the blonde caught Buffy's eyes.

"Don't mind Juvia. She's hopelessly in love with Gray and thinks every girl who talks to him is in love with him, too," she explained. Then she looked over at the pair and sighed. "Hey, Gray, you lost your shirt. Again!"

"Dammit!" the now shirtless Gray exclaimed as he finally detached himself from Juvia and began scouring the vicinity for his lost clothing.

Shaking her head, the blonde stepped up to Buffy and held out her hand. "I'm Lucy. Nice to meet you. That over there is Natsu, and next to him is Happy. Hey, you guys, don't be rude! Come over here and meet our newest member!"

Natsu, Buffy noted. The fire dragon slayer, who noticeably perked up at Lucy's words.

"Huh? We have a new member?" he said. Swallowing a mouth full of food, he looked over. When he saw Buffy, he blinked confusedly. Then his gaze sharpened into an almost predatory look as he grinned. "Now that's what I'm talking about! I'm tired of fighting all you losers. It's about time we had some new blood!"

His fist immediately erupted into flames as he stood.

Mira, who had been tending to another customer at the far end of the bar, paled. "Wait, Natsu! It's not like that!"

Natsu didn't hear Mira, though, his focus solely on Buffy as he continued to charge, the flames on his fist growing even hotter until Buffy could feel them even from where she stood.

It felt just like the ones she'd had in her dream.

Without thinking, Buffy kicked into slayer mode, stepping in front of Lucy to keep her out of harm's way.

As she passed her, she saw Lucy reach for something; a set of keys, she realized. Gray seemed to react, too, the smell of ice surrounding him as he realized what was happening. Buffy had no time to think about what they were doing, though.

They may have been fast, but Natsu was faster. Thankfully for Buffy, she was the fastest.

As Natsu took a swing at her, she ducked, easily evading his attack. Then, before he could follow up with another move, Buffy made one of her own, delivering a solid spinning back kick right to his midsection. She was so caught up in the moment - and in the memory of her dream - she didn't even think to check her strength until the very last moment. By then, however, it was too late.

Natsu flew across the guild hall, almost to the other side, stopping only when he crashed into Gajeel. Incensed, Gajeel punched Natsu, sending him crashing into someone else. That person swung at Natsu but only ended up hitting Gajeel, who slammed into yet another person.

On and on the chain went, until practically the whole hall was embroiled in the fight. The only ones who weren't involved were those closest to Buffy; those who knew exactly how the whole thing had started in the first place.

Buffy felt all their gazes burn into her.

Before she could think of what to say, she heard someone clearing his throat above her. When she looked up, she felt her heart drop. There on the mezzanine balcony was Erza and Makarov.

The Guild Master looked down at her, with expression inscrutable.

"It seems as though the time to talk has come sooner than either one of us had planned."


	7. Chapter 7: Tell All the People

A/N: Sorry for the delay in updates! Last weekend was my SO's 40th, and for some reason, he didn't want to take care of the kids while I worked on fics. Updates may be every other week during some parts of the summer. They will be coming, though.

* * *

 _Tell all the people that you see  
It's just me_

Buffy stared at the floor. It was one of those rare times she would've been happy to see a hellmouth open up right under her feet. There would be no apocalypse-sized distraction for her today, though. Nothing was going to tear away the sea of suspicious gazes aimed at her. Her only saving grace was that no one was attacking her outright... yet.

Warily, she watched as Makarov descended the staircase, with Erza close on his heels. As they made their way over toward Buffy, they passed by Gildarts, who was laughing with Wakaba and Macao over the melee, obviously not having seen how it all started. With a single gesture from Makarov, however, Gildarts' smile fell away, and, understanding what his Master wanted if not the reason why, quickly got up and joined the two. He, Makarov, and Erza all came to stop in front of Buffy a few moments later. A grim-faced Mira brought up the rear, coming to stand behind her so she was effectively surrounded.

"Perhaps the five of us can talk in my office?" Makarov suggested.

Though his tone was mild, there was clearly no room for argument. Still, Buffy hesitated. If being surrounded by four powerful wizards in the giant guild hall made her uncomfortable, then sitting in an enclosed office with them would be akin to torture. It didn't look as though she had much of a choice, though, not if she wanted to at least attempt to salvage the situation, so despite her major reservations, she nodded.

"Excellent," Makarov replied, his smile warm as he turned and began walking back toward the staircase.

Buffy was heartened to see that Erza, Gildarts, and Mira immediately followed him, making no attempts to 'escort' her. They simply took it for granted that Buffy would fall in at the end of the line, which she did.

As she walked away, she heard Natsu come up behind her, fast, having extricating himself from the brawl. Buffy guessed he was looking for her, probably spoiling for a rematch. Before he got close enough to warrant her attention, however, Lucy stopped him.

"Now is not the time, Natsu," she hissed. " _Look_."

"Huh, what's going? Why is she going with them?"

With a huff, Lucy quickly explained the situation. Surprisingly, Natsu did not react like the others. If anything, he became indignant and immediately ran to catch up with Makarov and the others, dragging poor Lucy with him.

"Hey, wait! That's no fair! I'm the one she kicked. I should get to fight her first... _and_ I should get to hear what she has to say, too!" he complained. When that got no reaction from Makarov, he actually pouted. "It's not like I won't be able to hear what you say anyway. And then I can tell the rest of the team!"

Both Erza and Makarov turned toward Natsu; the twin looks of anger on their faces made the dragon slayer hide behind Lucy, who yelped in indignation at being used as a shield.

"Natsu!"

"Why you-"

"I will, too," Gajeel announced as he pushed his way toward them. "Well, except the only one I'll tell is Lily."

He looked toward the black cat standing next to him, who nodded in a sign of solidarity. Apparently, with their superb hearing, they too had cottoned on to what was happening.

Buffy bit her lip as she looked at the two dragon slayers. "They probably should hear what I have to say anyway," she admitted.

Makarov looked back and forth between the stubborn faces of the two dragon slayers and Buffy before he gave a huff of exasperation.

"Fine, you little brats! But not a word out of either of you, or so help me you'll regret it! This conversation is between the four of us and Buffy."

Smirking triumphantly, Natsu, Gajeel, and their cats joined the group. To everyone's surprise, so did Lucy and Gray.

"What?" Gray said when Erza gave him 'the look'. "You know Flame Brain over there is just going to tell us afterward. Or he'll tell Lucy, anyway, and she'll tell me."

Though she gave a long-suffering sigh, Erza said nothing; neither did Makarov.

With twin looks of glee, Lucy and Gray continued to follow the rest. This time, they managed to make it to the staircase before they were interrupted once again.

"Hey, Buffy, look who I ran into! I want to introduce you to Wendy… what's going on?"

Buffy turned around to see Levy standing next to a young girl, her long blue hair in two adorable pigtails. Next to her was a white cat, one just like Happy and Pantherlily; Carla, presumably. Both Levy and Wendy looked puzzled by the whole situation, with an added tinge of worry on Levy's face. It was Carla, however, who had the most noticeable reaction.

As she caught sight of Buffy, her eyes widened with horror. It lasted for just a moment; before Buffy could blink, the cat was the picture of calm. Buffy wasn't fooled, though. She knew what she had seen.

Frowning, she wondered what the cat's deal was. Now was not the time to find out, however, so she turned her focus to her more immediate dilemma.

She was not in any position to be calling the shots, she fully understood that. She had already pushed her luck, asking for Natsu and Gajeel to come with them. On the other hand, she owed Levy an explanation more than anyone else, except for maybe Mira and Makarov. Besides, if they were going to kick her out after hearing what she had to say, it didn't really matter who knew about her. If they were going to let her stay, she wanted them to know the truth. Most importantly, more than anything else, she only wanted tell her story once.

Clearing her throat, she looked at Makarov. "Levy and Wendy should hear what I have to say," she said quietly. Then she looked over at some of the others who were now watching them. "Cana and Juvia, too."

Truthfully, Buffy had her reservations about including Juvia. If she was going to stay, though, it wouldn't hurt to have the water mage in the know, especially if she could help on the magic side of things.

Juvia was equally surprised. She quickly recovered, however, and marched toward the stairs, though not before catching Buffy's eye.

"You're still my Love Rival," she sniffed.

Buffy winced. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all. It was too late to change her mind now, though. She followed the group as they walked up the stairs and crowded into Makarov's office; Buffy on one side and everyone else on the other. It didn't set up the best dynamic, but she wasn't too alarmed; for the most part, everyone looked curious. Only a few looked openly hostile.

All things considered, she wasn't going to complain. Now she just had to figure out what she was going to say.

Sitting up straight in her chair with her shoulders back, Buffy gazed back at them, buying herself a little time as she tried to think things through.

It wasn't that hard. If the circumstances had been different, she would've considered telling them who she really was and where she really came from, if not at that moment then somewhere down the line; she was beginning to realize that her initial impressions of wizards and guilds were wrong. That was out of the question now, however. They were already suspicious of her; that piece of information would send them over the edge. She had to tell them something, though.

That left her with her cover story, which in and of itself wasn't a lie; it just didn't fully explain her situation.

She was okay with that.

"I guess I should start by saying that I'm not from here," she began. Then she took a deep breath. "Before I came to Fiore, I was in Bosco. I escaped six months ago."

Everyone in the room gasped at this revelation, but Buffy plowed on before they could say anything.

"While I was there, I was tortured and experimented on. I think they were trying to see if they could… 'enhance' certain parts of me, magically speaking. When I wouldn't give up trying to escape, they decided to implant something in me, knowing it would probably kill me. But hey, all in the name of science, right?" she said, not even trying to hide the bitterness in her voice. She pulled the neckline of her shirt down to reveal her scar. "And now I'm the proud new owner of a dragon lacrima."

It was almost comical the way everyone gaped at her. She felt like she was in a fishbowl with all the goldfish staring at her from the outside. If she wasn't feeling so emotionally raw, she would've laughed.

Her plan had originally been to speed over her past, making it seem like there was nothing before Bosco and drawing their attention to the dragon lacrima instead. As she spoke, however, she realized there was another reason why she was so eager to gloss over this particular detail of her past, one that made her stomach churn.

Buffy had thought she had moved past the trauma of the Pit, but explaining what had happened to her – hearing it out loud – brought all those feelings she had ruthlessly repressed rushing back. It was like ripping stitches out of a wound that hadn't even started to heal. She needed to put the stitches back in before she bled out all over the floor.

First, however, she needed to get through the Spanish Inquisition. Her fists clenched at her sides, she waited for whatever came next.

Makarov, unsurprisingly, was the first to recover. "And so you came here to Fairy Tail," he said thoughtfully.

Buffy nodded nonchalantly, though inwardly she was practically hyperventilating with relief that he didn't ask about Bosco.

"I wasn't lying when I said I can't perform magic. I really can't. I don't know _how_ ," she emphasized. Then, despite herself and the situation, she smirked. "Well, unless getting people's feet wet in puddles of water is some kind of kick ass spell I don't know about."

Gray started to laugh but quickly covered it with a cough, not wanting to get in trouble. Gildarts had no such restraints.

"So can we assume you're a water dragon slayer?" he asked, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"If you say so," Buffy shrugged, though she was grinning back at him, his good mood helping her relax. "As we just established, I'm not exactly the expert on these kind of things. You could've told me I was the dragon slayer of leaky pipes and puddles and I totally would've believed you."

This elicited another chuckle from Gildarts.

"For the sake of argument, let's assume you are a water dragon slayer," Makarov said dryly.

"If you are indeed telling the truth at all," Erza cut in. "Who's to say you're not lying now to save yourself?"

Buffy nodded, willing to take her lumps.

"Fair enough. In my defense, I had no idea what you were like, or if you'd help me. I think it's safe to say that my previous experience with magic left me with some serious trust issues. And you're right, I wouldn't have told you all this if I didn't have to. I wanted to be absolutely sure about you before I said a word."

"And learn about magic in the meantime," Levy murmured under her breath.

She said it so quietly, only the dragon slayers and cats in the room heard her. It was enough. She could see by their reactions that all of them heard both Levy's words and the hurt behind them.

Guilt twisted in Buffy's gut like a knife.

"Levy, I-"

Gajeel got to his feet, forgetting Makarov's edict in his anger. "Why are we still talking? She lied to us. She's probably still lying. For all we know, she's working for whoever put the lacrima in her and this whole 'I don't know how to use magic' is just a line she's feeding us," he growled, looking straight at Makarov as he spoke. "You saw what she did, a tiny thing like her sending Salamander clear across the room like that. How the hell can she be that strong, if she's not using magic?"

The guy may have looked rough around the edges, but there was no rust on his iron. The room grew serious at his accusations, all of them well-founded. Even Gildarts grew somber as all eyes turned back to Buffy, waiting for her response.

Buffy bit her lip. This was the weakest part of her story. Still, she doggedly stuck as closely to truth as possible.

"I freely admit that I'm not a newbie when it comes to fighting. I've been doing it for years, actually. Before the lacrima thingy, it was either fight or die for me, and let me tell you, they weren't mutually exclusive. I've been told for awhile now that it's my destiny to go down in a hail of fists and feet. And like I said before, I can't consciously control my magic, especially the dragon slayer part. So yeah, there's something behind my punches, whether I want it there or not," she said.

It sounded pitiful even to her ears, but she could do no better than that. Ironically, it was the closest she'd gotten to the truth.

Feeling the room was suddenly too small, Buffy got to her feet and began pacing the room. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw some of them tense at her abrupt movement, but she ignored it.

"Look, I totally get it why you don't believe me. I do," she stressed, highly aware that she was beginning to ramble but unable to stop herself. "I just don't know how to convince you I didn't come to Fairy Tail to do anything bad. Hell, I wasn't even going to come here in the first place. I was happily checking out all the other guilds around Fiore until I ran into that other dragon slayer-"

"What other dragon slayer?" Natsu cut in, unable to help himself.

Buffy could've sworn she saw a fire light behind his eyes. Assuming that he was simply excited at the thought of yet another person to challenge, she shrugged.

"Uh, I don't know? I never caught his name, actually. He was tall with blond, spiky hair and and a serious love for all things lightning? And he had an attitude the size of this guild hall," she sourly noted.

This drew a gasp from the group. Even Makarov seemed to pale at her words. Though she had no idea what she'd said to get that reaction, Buffy struggled to find a way to undo the damage she had done. Before she could, however, Mira finally spoke up, the first time since they had entered the room.

"You met Laxus?"

Buffy cursed her stupidity. She had known that the guy had been kicked out of a guild - and that he was the grandson of the guild master. She just never connected the dots. It never crossed her mind that the King of Cranky would belong to a friendly guild like this, or that he would think fondly about a guild that had booted him to the curb, let alone recommend it to someone. Seriously, the guy had anger management issues. She didn't doubt for a second that he knew how to hold a grudge. It wasn't as though Makarov and Laxus looked alike, either. The guild master was pocket-sized and Laxus was, well, freaking huge.

Clearly she had been wrong on all accounts. There was no taking back what she had said, either.

"Uh, I guess?" she offered.

By now, Makarov had recovered enough to speak. "And tell me, what did he say?"

Buffy was acutely aware of all the stares she was receiving as they waited for her response.  
"Well, er, I found out he was a dragon slayer, and I asked for his help. He gave me a resounding 'hell no'... and then he directed me here," she finished lamely.

"He directed you here," Makarov echoed, his expression inscrutable as he looked at Buffy.

The whole room fell silent. She had obviously touched upon a very sore subject. It made her wonder what exactly Laxus had done to get kicked out. Whatever it was, it obviously wasn't helping her own credibility, which was already almost nonexistent.

Recognizing defeat when she saw it, Buffy hung her head.

"Look, I really don't want any trouble. Just give me until sundown, and I'll get out of Magnolia, okay?"

"No."

Buffy whipped her head up to look at Makarov in disbelief. "You won't even give me until then?"

"No," he said calmly. "Because you're not going anywhere. You are still a part of this guild."

There were gasps of surprise. Makarov immediately quelled them with a hard stare. "Enough. My decision is final. Buffy will continue helping Mira," he said, though he glanced at Mira to make sure it was okay with her. When she nodded, he smiled. "Now all of you, go. I have a lot of paperwork to do, thanks to Team Natsu's latest adventure. I expect not a word of what was said here will be spoken to the rest of the guild, not yet."

Slowly, everyone filed out of the room. As they did, they stole glances at Buffy, their expressions ranging from mistrustful to curious. Only Mira gave her a small, encouraging smile before she left. Levy wouldn't look at her at all.

After the last person had gone, Buffy turned toward Makarov. "Why?" she asked. "Why are you doing this for me?"

Makarov looked at her solemnly. "Because you are _nakama_ and we are Fairy Tail," he replied, as if that explained everything.

Then he looked down at the papers at his desk.

Knowing a dismissal when she saw one, Buffy turned to leave. Before she stepped through the door frame, however, Makarov called out to her.

"But know this, my child. If someone were to plot against Fairy Tail in any way, there is no place in all of Earth Land where they will be safe."


	8. Chapter 8: The Coldest of Ice

A/N: I've been using lyrics and song titles from The Doors for chapter titles. I will admit that I cheated this time, though. The song I used is not written by The Doors. It's blues song written by Willie Dixon and first performed by Muddy Waters. The Doors performed it live on an album.

Also, in response to some of the reviews for the last chapter, I just wanted to note that this fic is from Buffy's POV; therefore the somewhat harsh response she got in the last chapter might not be quite so harsh in reality - at least not from everyone. I'll let you figure out who's who. ;)

* * *

 _I want to get close to you, baby, like black on white  
Close to you, baby, like the coldest of ice_

Buffy shut the book in front of her and, with a sigh, put it back in its place on the shelf. Her break was over with, which meant it was time to head back to the guild's main hall.

 _What a difference a day or two makes_ , Buffy thought to herself as she glanced around the guild library.

Up until recently, she had been hesitant to come here, worried that it would raise too many questions. Now that her secret was out, however, it had become her sanctuary, and a pretty darn useful one at that. Though she hadn't found a way home in any of the books, she had definitely expanded her knowledge about magic in general. It also helped her get her mind off things.

It had been exactly two days since she had told the others the truth - or the partial truth, anyway. In that time, the reaction had been mixed. Mira and Gildarts acted like nothing had changed; they interacted with Buffy just like they always had, maybe even more. The others, on the other hand, hadn't spoken to her much at all. They were polite enough, but there was a noticeable distance between them and her, and they definitely didn't go out of their way to talk to her. Then there was Levy, who was avoiding the guild hall altogether.

It shouldn't have bothered Buffy. It was what she had wanted, how she survived in this world. And yet it stung.

The fact that they were always watching her from a distance didn't help.

In all fairness, it wasn't all of them. It wasn't even Gajeel, whom Buffy had assumed would jump at the chance to spy on her, even sign up for double duty. He had gone out on a job request right after the meeting, though. It was just Team Natsu; whether it was by choice or because they had been told to do so, Buffy didn't know. All she knew was that Lucy, Erza, Happy, and Natsu took turns following her around, though they tried to pretend otherwise. At that very moment, it was Lucy, sitting on the far side of the library.

Buffy frowned as she studied the blonde. Though the others weren't quite going full black ops on her, Lucy was truly terrible at this, never quite able to hide from Buffy's line of vision. What she lacked in stealth she made up for in perseverance; when it was her turn, she doggedly followed Buffy no matter where she went. Currently, she was pretending to read a book all the while nervously watching Buffy out of the corner of her eye.

Buffy's frown grew deeper. Maybe she had made a mistake coming here. Maybe it was time to cut her losses and leave.

Thinking about where she might want to go next, Buffy left the library, avoiding Lucy's gaze as she passed by. When she returned to the bar, she found the usual plate of food waiting for her. As she had for past two days, however, she pushed it away.

"Thanks, Mira, but I'm not hungry," she murmured.

Mira frowned. "Buffy…"

But Buffy shook her head. "I'm okay, really I am. I'm just not hungry right now."

Before Mira could object, Buffy grabbed two glasses of water off the bar and carried them over to one of her tables, where Mira's younger siblings, Elfman and Lisanna, were sitting.

"Hey, Buffy!"

Buffy smiled despite herself as she approached them. Elfman and Lisanna's friendliness had not faltered in the slightest the past few days, without so much as a flicker of curiosity in their eyes, which told her that Mira hadn't spilled the beans. It was surprising, really. From what she had heard, the Strauss siblings had gone through Sunnydale levels of tragedy and, as a result, were beyond tight. Even with Makarov's gag order, she thought for sure Mira would've told them. She was grateful, though. It was nice to be treated normally, if only for a few minutes.

"Hey, Lisanna, Elfman, how-"

Before Buffy could finish - or set the glasses down - Jet and Droy came crashing toward her, too caught up in their own tussle to notice she was there. More than used to these kinds of interruptions now, Buffy leapt backward without a second thought, easily sidestepping the pair without spilling a drop of water. When she was sure the coast was clear, she set the glasses on the table.

"You handle yourself like a real man in here," Elfman said admiringly.

Buffy smiled. Everyone in the guild had personality quirks. Elfman's was always referring to things he admired or respected as 'manly' or 'like a real man'. The feminist in her wanted to object, but she knew he meant well.

"He's right," Lisanna agreed. "You fit in here so easily."

Buffy's smile became slightly strained, though she tried to hide it. "I don't know about that," she demurred.

Lisanna laughed, oblivious to her discomfort and the reason behind it. "You can't be serious. You've already started a brawl here! If that doesn't make you a full-fledged member, I don't know what does!"

She meant well, but her words cut deep. As quickly as she could, Buffy got Lisanna and Elfman's order and left, making lame jokes about hungry customers waiting for no one. Before she could make it to her next table, however, something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye.

There, on the far side of the room, were three people, all of whom were openly staring at her.

Buffy frowned. She had seen them before, though only a handful of times at most. When they were in the guild hall, they kept to themselves, always sitting on the fringes where food wasn't served.

Cocking her eyebrow, she looked at them expectantly. In response, they merely turned away, though not before one of them - a tall guy with an armor visor covering his eyes - smirked at her.

Bristling, Buffy turned her attention back to her tables. By the time she got back to the bar, however, she felt their eyes on her again. Feeling her ire rise, she walked over to Mira.

"Mira, who are they?"

Mira looked over to where Buffy was pointing. "Oh, them? That's the Thunder Legion. Freed is the one with the long green hair, wearing that old-fashioned frock coat. Bickslow is the one in the armor with the totems floating around him, and the girl in the glasses is Evergreen. They were Laxus' team before he… left," she explained. Then her expression darkened. "Are they giving you trouble?"

Buffy hastily shook her head. "No, nothing like that. Just curious, is all."

Except it wasn't nothing. They continued giving her weird looks for the next few hours whenever Mira wasn't looking. They didn't try to approach her, though, or give her any clue why they were staring at her.

It was really annoying. Buffy was almost tempted to march over and ask them what their deal was, but she just didn't have the energy. Once she was done with her shift, she went straight back to the Magnolia Inn without so much as a backward glance at them - or at Lucy, who was still watching her.

As soon as she entered her room, she flopped on her bed, seriously debating the pros and cons of staying in Fairy Tail. She even pulled out her bag to start packing. The only thing that stayed her hand was the fear that any guild she went to would react the same exact way - if not worse - if they found out.

Feeling a headache begin to build right behind her eyes, Buffy decided to table the discussion in her head for another time. After putting her bag away, she changed into her PJ's. Then, even though it was still broad daylight out, she crawled into bed and closed her eyes, quickly falling asleep.

 _Someone was crying. It was a girl, Buffy realized. Her voice was so familiar, but Buffy couldn't identify it. Her scent was masked by an acrid, burning smell._

Then a shadow enveloped the entire ground, and the crying turned to an anguished scream.

Tearing her gaze upward, Buffy tried to see the cause of the girl's pain. She was almost able to make out something-

knock knock knock

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Buffy awoke with a start. It took her a moment to realize the knocking sound wasn't her heart. Someone was at the door. Three someones, if her nose was correct. And they weren't very patient.

 _ **KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK**_

Scowling, she stalked toward the door and threw it open.

"Yeah?"

The Thunder Legion stared back at her; Evergreen with a sneer of disdain, Freed with an embarrassed blush staining his cheeks, and Bickslow with a leer as those weird drum things levitated behind him.

"Nice pajamas," he snickered, openly ogling her.

"Pajamas! Pajamas!" the little drums chorused.

Buffy flushed. She had forgotten she was in her PJ's; the ones with cute little kittens plastered all over them, no less. They definitely didn't give her any intimidation points.

Deciding to make up for it in attitude, she crossed her arms over her chest and glared. "What do you want? And what's with all the weird looks?"

Evergreen rolled her eyes, clearly not impressed with what she saw. "We heard you met Laxus-"

"What? How do you know that?" Buffy exclaimed, startled by this revelation.

Bickslow grinned. "Dragon slayers aren't the only ones who can listen in," he replied, as his creepy entourage bounced around him chanting, "Listen in! Listen in!"

"And we want you to come with us to find him," Evergreen finished, shooting daggers at Bickslow.

Buffy felt her jaw drop. "You're joking, right?" she asked. When no one replied, she set her lips in a grim line. "Um, no. A world of no, actually."

Grasping the side of the door, she began to shut it. She was impeded, however, by Freed.

"Wait!" he exclaimed as he jammed his foot in the doorway. At Buffy's look, he pulled his foot back and gave a deep bow. "Please excuse my boorish behavior. We simply must find Laxus, however, and you're the only one who can help us."

And this conversation kept getting stranger.

"And how am I supposed to do that?" Buffy asked, her curiosity piqued, at least for the moment.

Seeing that she wasn't going to slam the door in his face, Freed stood, adjusting his waistcoat as he did. "You are the last one who saw him-"

"Over two weeks ago. In Shirotsume," she pointed out. "He could miles from there by now. You do know that you can get a train to just about anywhere in Fiore, right?"

Freed coughed delicately. "Laxus prefers to travel by foot, so chances are he won't be too far, especially since he has no particular place to go. And you're a dragon slayer, correct? So you should be able to pick up his scent."

Buffy stared at him, at all of them. It was the thinnest excuse she'd ever heard. So thin, in fact, that she could see clear through to the other side. They must've thought she was an idiot.

"We all know you'd have as much luck finding him yourselves as you would with me, so that whole line about my dragon slayer senses is just that, and a pretty pathetic one to boot," she pointed out. "And since you know so much about me, you know I'm not the most popular person in the guild right now, so I can't help wondering, why do you want me to come along so badly?"

"We're not the most popular, either," Freed replied. "So that makes no difference to us."

Buffy said nothing; she simply folded her arms across her chest and waited for a better answer - a real one.

The three Thunder Legion members exchanged glances as they had a silent conversation between them. When a few seconds ticked by, Buffy started to close the door again.

Evergreen clucked her tongue in annoyance.

"Oh, alright," she said testily. "Laxus gave us explicit orders not to look for him, so we can't take a job request and just happen to 'stumble' across him. From what we hear, no one at Fairy Tail is helping you with your magic. If we were to take you to him, though-"

"Then you could see him again, all under the guise that I need help," Buffy finished. "Of course you realize that he'll see through that excuse just as quickly as I saw through your first one. Not to mention that he made it clear from my first run with him that he wasn't planning on a second."

"Yeah, but then he'll be mad at you and not us," Bickslow replied, his tongue hanging out of his mouth as he cackled with glee.

"How kind," Buffy dryly replied. "Letting his hatred for me act as a shield for you."

Evergreen sharply elbowed Bickslow, which made his dolls hiss. "What Bickslow is trying to say is that we'll have your backs if you have ours. If we do it correctly, it will be a win-win situation for both of us. As for your… concern, if he hated you as much as you think, he would have left you unconscious on the street. I find it very curious that he told you to come here."

Buffy stared at them for a moment in disbelief. They were all crazy. "No."

"Please!" Freed begged. "We need your help."

She felt a twinge of pity as she looked at them, seeing how much they wanted to be reunited with their leader, despite his orders. There was nothing she could do for them, though, even if she wanted to.

"I'm the last person you want help from," she said quietly, echoing Laxus' words to them.

Then she closed the door.

* * *

The next morning after breakfast, Buffy busied herself by posting job requests on the board for Mira. She had to do some fancy stepping around Nab, an Animal Possession Mage who looked for jobs every day but never managed to find one to his liking, but she didn't mind. He always had a friendly smile for her, and today was no different. Besides, Buffy enjoyed seeing the types of jobs wizards were hired for, which ranged from construction jobs and surveillance to flushing out bandits and undoing curses. It also got her out of the glare of the Thunder Legion, who had been practically boring holes into her head from the other side of the hall all morning.

It didn't hide her from all prying eyes, though. As she tacked the last request on the board, a familiar scent reached her nose, along with the light clink of armor. Soon after, a shadow fell over her.

"Can I help you with something, Erza?" she asked without turning around.

"I would like to talk to you about your ordeal in Bosco."

Buffy stiffened. That was pretty much the last thing she wanted to talk to anyone about. When she turned to face Erza, however, she kept her expression calm.

"I'm sorry, but I don't really want to talk about it."

"But I-"

"Erza!" Lucy called out nervously as she rushed over to them, immediately inserting herself between the other two. With an apologetic smile to Buffy, she rounded on Erza, speaking through gritted teeth. "Didn't we all agree to give Buffy some space about this?"

"I apologize, Lucy, but I cannot," Erza replied, pushing past her so she was face to face with Buffy once again, a commanding look on her face. "Tell me, Buffy, where in Bosco were you kept? Did you recognize your captors? Did you get their names? Can you perhaps recall what they look like or other details about them, details you may have observed or overheard in conversation?"

Buffy paled. If talking about the Pit the other day was like ripping the stitches out of a wound, then Erza's interrogation was like taking a dull, rusty blade to it.

"I don't remember much, seeing as I was either drugged out of my mind or in excruciating pain," she bit out.

She knew she shouldn't have said that. It wasn't true and it would probably come back to bite her another time, but she couldn't bring herself to say Ultear's name, let alone share it with someone.

Erza frowned, unhappy with this answer. She started to say something else before she was interrupted.

"Erza, please! Can't you see this is difficult for her?" Lucy exclaimed, obviously in distress.

As she spoke, she tugged on the redhead's arm. It was useless, though. She couldn't get the woman to budge an inch.

Buffy could see why the other guild members talked about Erza with a mixture of fear and awe. The woman was as immovable as stone and yet as fierce as fire. Just as relentless, too. And she had the magical power to back it up. If Mira was the mother hen of the guild, then Erza was the enforcer - and she currently had her sights set on Buffy.

"I realize that, but if what she said is true, then there's a chance that someone else is going through the same torture. We must stop it if we can," Erza declared.

That was not what Buffy was expecting. She thought Erza was fishing for details to check out her story. This was actually noble, and Buffy respected her for it. In another life under vastly different circumstances, they might've even been friends. That didn't mean it was any less painful in the here and now, however.

Buffy laughed, though there clearly was no humor in it. "If that's what you're worried about, I think I can solve all our problems. When they tried to rip the lacrima out of me - you know, because I was considered a failed experiment being on death's doorstep and all - the magic in me went out of control and caused a huge explosion. When I woke up, there was nothing but broken rocks and dead bodies," she said with a smile she could barely feel. "So you see? Problem solved."

She kept her voice steady, but her hands betrayed her as they shook by her sides. The true giveaway, however, was when she stepped to the side, trying to maneuver around Erza, and landed squarely in a small puddle of water; one of many scattered around the three women.

She was not ready to deal with this. Before she did something she would regret - or ruined some more hardwood flooring - Buffy rushed out of the guild hall, ignoring the calls behind her. She ran and ran, until she reached the outskirts of Magnolia.

When she finally found a secluded spot, she stopped, leaning against a tree and letting it support her as she crumbled toward the ground. As she buried her head in her hands, she heard the sound of someone following her. For a split second she was tempted to get to her feet and run some more. When she caught her intruder's scent, however, she paused. He was the only one on his team who hadn't spied on her, and yet he was chasing her now. Curiosity getting the better of her, she didn't try to escape.

He came into sight a few minutes later, sweaty and panting from the exertion.

"Man, you run fast."

Buffy watched Gray as he came to a stop a good ten feet away, his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

"What do you want?"

He straightened up at the sound of her voice and gave her a lopsided grin. "To apologize. Erza can be… intense sometimes, but she means well."

Buffy blinked. "Er, thanks." When Gray nodded and yet made no effort to move, she frowned. "Not to be rude, but I really don't feel like talking right now."

"'Sokay. Neither do I," he replied. And still, he didn't leave. In fact, he sat against one of the trees nearby. After moving around a little to find the most comfortable position, he put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes, the picture of relaxation.

"You're here to keep an eye on me," she realized.

Gray cracked an eye open and gave her an apologetic smile. "Yeah. Sorry about that."

"But I can see you," she pointed out. "Really, really well."

"So?" he shrugged. "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not act like a creeper, stalking you from the shadows."

A snort escaped Buffy before she could stop it. "I imagine you wouldn't, seeing as you know what it's like on the receiving end."

Gray shuddered and gave a cursory look around. When he saw the coast was clear, he relaxed back into the tree. "Don't remind me. Anyway, you'd be able to tell where I was in an instant, so what's the point?"

When he closed his eyes again, Buffy took the opportunity to study him. Gray was doing a spectacularly terrible job keeping an eye on her. Even Natsu, who treated the whole thing more like a game than anything else, at least had the sense to stay out of sight, even if his snickering was a dead giveaway. If Gray really thought she was some kind of Big Bad, she could be on her feet and out of sight before he could even open his eyes again. Or she could do worse. But there he was, seemingly without a care in the world.

Wondering what his angle was, she watched him as he continued to nap in the shade. When she realized that he didn't actually have one, that he was genuinely at ease in her presence, she finally let herself relax, too. Leaning against the tree, she closed her eyes and let the images of the Pit wash away with every breath.

Before she knew it, she and Gray had slipped into a companionable silence. She was actually disappointed when it came to an end as an ever so slight rustling noise shook her out of her reverie.

Opening her eyes, Buffy looked at Gray to see if he had heard it, too - only to do a complete double take.

At least she now knew what the noise had been.

"Uh, Gray, your shirt is missing."

Eyes flying opening, Gray jumped to his feet and looked down at his now bare chest. "Dammit!" he cursed, as he began looking all around him.

It was absurd to think that someone didn't know when he was undressing himself. After that first day, Buffy had him pegged as some kind of weird exhibitionist. Now, however, as he frantically searched for his shirt, obviously embarrassed, she could see that he honestly had no idea he was doing it. He was just that stealthy.

He was like some kind of stripping ninja, she thought.

Buffy burst into laughter at the imagery that suddenly popped into her head.

"I'm glad you're finding this so funny," Gray grumbled as he continued his search.

Buffy pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh at his suffering. "I'm sorry, really I am," she insisted, though she was undercut by another bubble of laughter.

"I can tell," he deadpanned.

Though she could see he wasn't truly bothered by her amusement at his expense, Buffy still tamped down her remaining laughter, not wanting to cross that line. "So this is a habit of yours, I take it?"

Gray nodded. "I'm an Ice Mage, which means I need to be impervious to the cold. My training involved getting undressed in all sorts of weather. After awhile, I just got used to doing it," he shrugged.

"Oh," she said. "When you explain it that way, it actually makes sense. It must really suck for the female Ice Mages."

Gray scratched the back of his head, clearly embarrassed. "I, uh, I don't think all Ice Mages pick up this habit," he muttered. His face noticeably pink, he spun around so his back was facing her. "Where the hell is my shirt?!"

Taking pity on him, Buffy walked behind a copse of trees where his discarded shirt lay hidden and picked it up. "Here you go."

Shocked, he stared at her for a moment before he grabbed his shirt. "Thanks. How did you find it so fast?" he asked as he slipped it back on.

Buffy shrugged. "It wasn't that hard. It has your scent all over it."

Gray's jaw dropped. "You mean all those times Natsu could've… I'm going to kill that idiot the next time I see him!"

Laughing, Buffy got to her feet. "Don't wait on my account. I need to get back to the guild hall anyway. I did kind of just run out in the middle of my shift." Her smile turned into a grimace as she thought about going back.

"Hey," Gray said as he came to stand next to her, a sly grin on his face. "Want to help me get my revenge on that moronic fireball? He'd never expect it coming from you, and I know you can handle yourself in a fight."

Buffy snorted. "You're kidding, right? Erza will think I'm committing an act of war."

Gray was silent for a moment as they began to walk back to the guild hall. "Yeah, maybe," he finally conceded. The grin was back in an instant, however. "Okay, how about you just put something really gross in his food?"

"And I repeat, act of war. Besides, have you seen the way he eats?" Buffy scoffed. "I doubt he'd notice it at all."

That elicited a chuckle from Gray. He didn't give up, though. The whole way back to the guild hall, he peppered her with potential revenge schemes on Natsu, ranging from the ridiculous to the impossible, all delivered in a laid-back, casual way, like he was commenting on the weather.

By the time they stepped through the front doors, Buffy's face hurt from smiling and laughing much.


End file.
